The Error Of My Ways
by Strega Brava
Summary: **COMPLETE** Hermione makes a simple mistake but the consequences turn out to be not so simple. Her life is in danger, secrets are revealed and she falls deeply in love. HG/PW. Now considered AU and OOC to some degree.
1. The Error Of My Ways

Disclaimer: Anything you recognize is not mine but belongs to the goddess JKR __

Disclaimer: Anything you recognize is not mine but belongs to the goddess JKR. I particularly like exploring unlikely relationships. This is my third fic (the others are Saving You, Saving Me and A Lesson in Seduction, both of which involve Hermione and Severus) and I am focussing on another couple. I really hope you like it. Constructive reviews are encouraged. All flames will be used to start up the barbecue (it is almost summer, after all).

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Chapter One: The Error Of My Ways

Hermione Granger lay back on her bed and held up her favourite book in the entire world, "Hogwarts: A History". She found comfort in reading and rereading its pages and the knowledge they imparted even though there was nothing in them she did not already know. If she felt sad, she read it. If she was upset, she read it. If she couldn't sleep, she read it. It was worn and a little the worse for wear, but it was her most prized possession.

"Hah!" she thought to herself, "Ron would say how typical that my most prized possession is a book. That git only thinks about Quidditch…that silly hat Harry got him for Christmas is probably his most prized possession and Harry…well, that would probably be his Firebolt…at least it is somewhat more practical."

Summer vacation seemed to drag on forever. She was so ready to enter into 7th year - her final year - at Hogwarts. She was already studying for her NEWTs because she knew she needed top marks in order to make it to Auror training.

"Harry and Ron would say that the exams are too far away and that I shouldn't worry about them. Easy for them to say. Ron already has relatives working at the ministry…he certainly has his foot in the door regardless of his NEWTs. Harry can do anything he likes because he is the Boy-That-Lived…" Hermione's face fell slightly. She really wasn't upset at her two best friends in the world and she didn't particularly like to say anything bad about Harry. He never asked for the attention he got.

"Oh, bother!" she finally put her beloved book down in frustration. She felt so edgy. She decided that the best thing might be to look up her horoscope in the Muggle newspaper her parents subscribed to. That never failed to amuse her even if the astrologer had more credibility than Professor Trelawney. Skimming through the pages, she finally found it.

__

"A mistake will bring you some grief and yet, in the end, the error of your ways will prove to be best thing that ever happened to you. Love will find you, despite your best efforts, and your heart will triumph over your mind. Go beyond the exterior. Lucky numbers 7,8,9,10,12,14,28"

Hermione laughed until tears were streaming down her face.

"Oh, this one is very worthy of Professor Trelawney. I am going to have to cut this one out and keep it. Love will find you despite your best efforts…I mean, really!!"

As she was busy cutting out the horoscope (which was difficult to do as she was still laughing), she heard a rustle of feathers.

"Pigwidgeon!" she cried out as Ron's owl landed on her window sill. He had a letter tied to his leg.

Quickly, she untied the letter and got the tired owl some water and a couple of owl treats. Crookshanks watched the owl eating. It looked exhausted. The cat lay down next to the owl and the owl quickly fell asleep. 

"Poor thing," Hermione murmured, stroking its feathers gently. She smiled at her cat and then sat down to read Ron's letter.

__

Dear Hermione,

This summer has been particularly awful. As you know, I was "lucky" enough to get a summer job at the Ministry, working with my brother Percy. I could have worked with Charlie, Bill or even Fred and George and I would have been the happiest junior wizard on the face of the earth. But, I get stuck with the pompous one.

"Oh, Ron, don't be so uncharitable about your brother. At least you got an interesting job. Poor Harry works at a fast-food chain flipping burgers all day and complaining that he smells like mustard." Hermione thought with a smile.

__

Well, I am writing to let you know that my term of imprisonment…I mean my work assignment is complete and I am planning on heading to Diagon Alley tomorrow with Ginny. Harry is joining us too. We all need a few things for school. Can you come too? Send a reply with Pig…let him rest first because he is exhausted…Fred and George used him to test some kind of letter carrier which transforms any letter into a Howler. Only problem is that the Howler goes off en route which scared poor Pig half to death. He should be all right in a bit.

Take care and hope to see you tomorrow.

Your friend,

  
Ron

PS: Heard you will be Head Girl. Congratulations. Malfoy and especially Daddy Dearest must be laying eggs the size of hippogriffs!!

Hermione laughed at Ron's post-script. She knew she needed a few things as well for school. She hastily scribbled a reply to Ron saying that, yes, she would meet him outside the ice-cream shop at around 10:00 am. Pigwidgeon was awake now, decidedly better from his quick nap and the owl treats. 

"Are you sure you're up to this?" she asked him.

The little owl hooted affirmatively and stuck out its leg. Hermione shrugged and tied the parchment to its leg. It took off quickly and was soon out of sight.

Hermione quickly started taking inventory of her magical supplies.

"Okay, I have to get a larger cauldron for Potions…number 13, pewter. I need parchment and quills. I need the textbooks…where did I put that list? Oh, here it is…okay, textbooks. Don't need anything else for Charms, Transfiguration, Arithmancy…why can't those two sods have taken Arithmancy instead of Divination…that Professor Trelawney is just the biggest fraud this side of Hogsmeade. I don't need anything else for Herbology or Care of Magical Beasts. Maybe some chocolate covered coffee beans for History of Magic…that class could be so much more interesting if Professor Binns were…well, alive for one thing. I need to get some supplies for Potions…let's see…beetle eyes, powdered snakeskin, goat's beards, newt hearts, essence of hemlock…" Hermione wrote a list of all the things she needed for the next day's shopping excursion, estimated how much this was going to cost then added some money to buy some treats.

"After all," she said to Crookshanks in a knowing kind of way, "woman does not live by books alone."

Crookshanks gave her a look as if he thought she had finally lost it.

A soft hooting sound turned her attention away from her list. It was Hedwig, Harry's snowy owl.

"Hello Hedwig," Hermione called, "Message from Harry?"

Hedwig puffed herself out importantly and hooted in response. 

Hermione untied the parchment, trying very hard not to laugh at the solemn bird, and started to read

__

Hey Hermione,

Ron, Ginny and I are going to Diagon Alley tomorrow. Say you'll come too. I am finally finished working at THAT PLACE. Honestly, I don't think even a house elf would want to work there. It will take a serious cleansing spell to get rid of all this grease…yuck! Oh well, next year I will be able to work in the wizarding world. I would love to get a position as a Teaching Assistant at Hogwarts. I suppose I will have to start studying for NEWTS soon. Anyway, I will see you tomorrow.

Your friend,

Harry

PS: Congratulations on becoming Head Girl. Malfoy must have sent you flowers when he heard the news - ha ha!

Hermione smiled at the good wishes that her best friends sent her.

"They probably want me to get Malfoy in as much trouble as possible," she thought with an exasperated smile. She quickly wrote a reply.

__

Hi Harry,

I can't wait to see you all at Diagon Alley. I need a few things myself. I am sure that your summer job wasn't all bad…ask Ron, he'll tell you that his was worse. Thanks for the good wishes and, since you are SO interested in studying for your NEWTs, maybe we will set up a study group or something…I'm kidding, of course (then again, maybe not)! Take care and I will see you tomorrow.

Your friend,

Hermione

Hermione quickly sent Hedwig off with the message then lay down on her bed to think about the coming year…she couldn't wait…

The next day her parents brought her over to Diagon Alley. Mr and Mrs Granger were well used to this particular nook of the wizarding community and had actually arranged to have lunch with Mr & Mrs Weasley at the Ministry of Magic. Hermione smiled as Arthur Weasley (one of the nicest wizards she knew) was asking questions about how muggles took care of toothaches and things like that - her father had certainly learned patience and it was somewhat endearing to talk to someone who found everything about your profession so fascinating. It seemed that Mrs Granger and Mrs Weasley were quite content comparing pot roast recipes and were chatting away about non-magical things like raising children, the best mashed potato recipe and what kind of wine went best with poached salmon.

"If only everyone could see how nice this could be," she thought to herself. Lucius Malfoy and his coven of Death Eaters certainly wouldn't.

She was shaken out of her reverie by a somewhat painful jab to the ribs. Turning, she found herself face to face with a grinning Ron Weasley. She responded by quickly pushing him backward into Harry. The two boys both had silly grins on their faces.

"Hi Hermione," Harry smiled and, reaching over, gave her a quick hug, "It's good to see you."

"It's good to see you too, Harry," she grinned and then, turning to Ron in mock outrage, "You, on the other hand…"

Ron simply grabbed her in a huge bearhug and gave her the biggest noogie this side of Hogsmeade…

"Ah, you know you missed me too," he laughed as she struggled to break away from her overzealous friend.

Hermione was furious…she broke away and tried to restore some order into her hair.

Ron grinned, "I'll see you at the Leaky Cauldron in about 30 minutes…I have to pick up something at Madame Malkins" and with that, he ran off before Hermione could even cast a spell.

"He is so infuriating!" she shouted, "To do that, at his age, to me, in front of everyone…"

Harry simply smiled as he tried to help Hermione with her hair, a rather daunting task, "You know Ron, subtlety has never been his strong point."

She continued to brush her hair and then turned to Harry.

"How does my hair look?"

"Beautiful, just like the rest of you."

"Honestly, Harry, you are just as bad as Ron."

"Can we get going?"

"I have to think of a way to get back at Ron."

"Nothing fazes Ron."

"Nothing?"

"He has all those brothers to tease and pick on him…tell me one thing that they haven't done to him?"

Hermione looked at Harry as if he had given her the best Christmas present in the entire world.

"You are a genius."

"Why do I not like the sound of that?" Harry sighed.

****

She pulled Harry along and they walked into the Leaky Cauldron. There seemed to be a lot more people than usual. Looking around, she finally caught a glimpse of a familiar mop of red hair facing away from them. Hermione motioned to Harry to go around to the other side of the room. She snuck up behind him…time to put her plan into action. Suddenly she noticed that Harry was making strange gestures…he was telling her to back away. She frowned at him.

"No way, I am going to get Ron good. He deserves a little humble pie of his own," she thought with an evil grin. She was right behind him now…"Here goes," she thought.

She quickly wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her cheek against the back of his head. He tilted his head back in apparent surprise, she closed her eyes, leaned over and kissed him deeply on the mouth.

"Gotcha," she thought to herself in triumph.

Hearing a spluttering sound, Hermione released her victim and turned her head to see Harry on the floor, convulsing with laughter. She glared at him.

"Oh, come off it, Harry, it wasn't that funny," she grumbled.

"You're right, Hermione," the voice made Hermione turn quickly. She blushed furously as she realized that she was staring into the stormy hazel eyes of Percy Weasley.


	2. Realization, Reconciliation and Somethin...

Disclaimer: Anything you recognize is not mine but belongs to the goddess JKR **__**

Disclaimer: Anything you recognize is not mine but belongs to the goddess JKR. I want to thank my reviewers for all their positive feedback and I will do my best to maintain a quota of one chapter per week. Between work and family life (I'm married and have two little boys and a dog) it is the best I can promise. By the way, the R rating is for some violent scenes that will show up in the next few chapters and I prefer to err on the side of caution. Again, your reviews have been heartwarming and I thank you. Oh, and I have a great idea for any flames…first of all, don't send them, and if you do, well, Canada Day will be coming up July 1st and I can use them to light the fireworks great big Canadian grin.

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Chapter 2: Realization, Reconciliation and Something More

Percy had been spending the morning going from one store to another picking up supplies for his next field assignment for the Ministry of Magic. Fudge was still acting as if Voldemort had not returned and was some figment of everyone's collective imagination but Percy knew otherwise and so did the others in his small group. He was now rather tired, even though it was so early in the day and decided a cool drink at the Leaky Cauldron was just the thing.

Sitting down at the only empty table left, he closed his eyes and went over the details of his assignment. It would not be easy and he was somewhat uncomfortable with the arrangements. It brought to the surface too many unresolved issues. Well, he wasn't in this to be sociable so he pushed the feelings down and deliberately tried to think of something other than…

Sighing, he opened his eyes and took another sip of his drink. This really was getting out of hand. Where was his normal exemplary self-control?

Noticing movement to his left, he glanced over and thought he could make out Harry. He was about to wave when someone grabbed him around the neck and pressed a cheek against the back of his neck. He tried to turn around to see who had accosted him when someone leaned his head back and, in a haze of brown hair, pressed their lips against his.

Something deep inside of him cried out from beyond the cold exterior he presented to the world. Something warmed to the touch and, in doing so, refused to be relegated any longer to the perimeter of his existence. The kiss was soft, hesitant and gentle. Then, the face pulled away and he was left momentarily dazed.

"Hermione Granger!" he thought to himself in shock. For the briefest of instants, he felt an overwhelming desire to kiss her again. However, the sight of Harry laughing brought him back to reality, and anger at his perceived weakness quickly replaced the desire. He retreated into his protective shell and made a rather cutting comment to Hermione who stared at him as if he were a ghost.

*****

Hermione was rendered speechless as she realized that she had not kissed her sometimes-obnoxious friend Ron but his older brother, Percy. The colour of her face rivalled the colour of that infamous Weasley hair that had caused the confusion. This would have been an opportune time to disapparate…if only she knew how. 

"Note to self, learn disapparation before embarking on an exercise of abject humiliation," she thought angrily.

"Would you be so kind as to explain to me what you were trying to accomplish, Hermione? I never would have expected someone of your intelligence and professional polish to engage in such horseplay" Percy could be so cuttingly polite…Hermione winced at the coldness in his voice. She couldn't say anything to defend herself when she saw the anger in his face. It was nothing compared to how angry she was at herself. This was not supposed to have happened.

"Well, don't you have anything to say for yourself and your behaviour?" Percy looked as if he was ready to curse her and Harry, having a fit of hysterics, really wasn't helping the situation a great deal. She had to say something…didn't people who were facing a firing squad always get a few last words?

"I…I am so sorry, Percy," she stammered, still blushing furiously, "I was…well, your brother…Ron…well, he was teasing me and I…I wanted to…get him back…you know embarrass him somehow…all I saw was the back of your head…I thought…I thought…" she couldn't continue because Ron had just walked in. She glared at him fiercely.

"What?" Ron asked, somewhat puzzled at the death glare he was receiving.

Hermione could not answer him for how humiliated she felt, she could only glare in silence…a very uncomfortable silence. Ron turned to his brother "Hullo Percy. Ministry let you have lunch for a change??"

Percy immediately fixed his angry gaze at his younger sibling. He did not say a word and did not seem too eager to provide an explanation.

"What is with you guys?" Ron asked, looking from one to the other, "You look like you're ready to go at each other's throats," he then noticed Harry wiping tears from his eyes from having laughed so hard, "What is going on?"

Percy cleared his throat.

"Apparently, your friend here," he pointed to Hermione who still hadn't recovered her ability to talk coherently, "thought that you needed a small lesson in humiliation and mistook me for you."

"And…"

"And she put me in a…compromising position in front of all these patrons," Percy said stiffly, blushing slightly.

Ron's face showed his confusion.

"Will you stop talking like Fudge and tell me what happened? Harry, these two aren't much help. Did you see what happened?"

"Yes."

"And…"

"Hermione kissed Percy…on the mouth…in front of everyone," he stated, trying very hard not to burst out into laughter.

Ron gave both his brother and Hermione an incredulous look.

"You're kidding!"

Hermione finally started talking.

"Honestly, Ron, it was a mistake. I came up behind him. I was expecting you here. I just zeroed in on the red hair and…well…can I help it if everyone in your family has almost identical shades of distinctive red hair?"

"I can't believe I missed that…I wish I could have seen…" 

"You would have seen nothing, " Percy interrupted, calmer now "For goodness sake, Ron, it's bad enough for a Ministry employee to…well, be mistaken like that without you acting like a complete and total fool and blowing situations completely out of proportion. Hermione, I am sorry that I was angry with you. I know I over-reacted but..well, given the circumstances…I didn't really give myself a chance to think about my actions."

Percy held out his hand and Hermione shook it with relief. 

"Your hands are so cold," Percy thought to himself, "I must have scared you half to death."

"I really am sorry, Percy," she said contritely. Percy nodded and gestured that, perhaps, they should leave.

The four of them walked out of the pub, with everyone watching them in merriment. You couldn't say that a day at The Leaky Cauldron was dull.

Percy and Hermione walked ahead of Ron and Harry (who was giving Ron a play-by-play description of what had happened, suitably exaggerated of course).

"So, Hermione, I understand you have been chosen Head Girl of your year," Percy said with a smile on his face. It seemed he had left all his anger back at the pub. She practically beamed at him in pride.

"How did you…let me guess, Ministry connections?" Hermione asked.

Percy tapped the side of his nose knowingly and Hermione laughed, much more relaxed now. 

"It is what I have always wanted since I learned I was going to Hogwarts," she said happily. "It really is a dream come true for me."

"This is much better," she thought. She really looked up to Percy and considered him competition in a lot of ways. For instance, she was aiming to get better NEWTs than he had and he had achieved the highest scores in over fifty years.

"It is a great honour and a great responsibility to be chosen Head of one's year. I was the second in my family to do it and, I must say, it was one of my best experiences at Hogwarts," he added.

Hermione could hear Ron imitating Percy and Harry's choked laughter. She chose to ignore both.

"Boys!" she thought to herself in exasperation.

"I am really looking forward to it. My parents are very proud of my accomplishments in school. I am all they have…I don't have all the siblings you do," she said sadly.

Percy looked at her in some surprise. Although he knew Hermione was an only child, he never thought that it was something anyone would be sad about. Having more siblings than one could shake a wand at made the thought of being an only child quite appealing.

"She's smart," he thought, "Very smart. Looks like she knows what she wants to do in life. Dedicated? Without a doubt and not afraid of hard work either. Full of spirit. Attractive…well, yes…I wonder why she doesn't have a boyfriend?" Percy wondered and then caught himself…it really wasn't any of his concern…he had other things on his mind although, as he admitted to himself, they were not nearly as pleasant.

"Well, you can adopt Ron if you like," he said suddenly in a serious voice.

Hermione looked at him in shock. Was there a note of mischief in those hazel-brown eyes? She smiled.

"And deprive you of such a mature younger brother? That would hardly be sporting of me," she returned in an equally serious tone.

There was no doubt about it, his eyes were definitely glinting.

"So, brother dear," Ron piped up, eager to join the conversation, "what brings you to Hogsmeade? Out collecting market research on cauldron thicknesses again or is it wand diameters this time? Perhaps they have promoted you and you are now ensuring that all parchment manufacturers adhere to standard dimensions?" 

Harry was putting forward a valiant effort not to laugh as he did not want to offend Percy.

To their surprise, Percy smiled, "You are somewhat correct, Ron. I will be working on a new assignment that promises to be challenging and very interesting. I was collecting some things I might be needing and I believe that I have everything I require except a couple of textbooks."

"Textbooks?" Ron asked with wary eyes.

Percy continued, pretending not to notice his brother's question, " I simply wanted to make sure that I was prepared. What do you think?" Percy opened up the parcel he had been carrying and inside were some quills, ink, parchment and…

"Percy, why do you have a Hogwarts robe?" Harry asked.

"What the hell is going on, Percy?" Ron shouted…as a horrifying possibility opened itself to his panicked mind.

Hermione looked at the robe more closely.

"That's a professor's robe," she commented to no one in particular.

"Very astute observation, Hermione. I am going to be teaching History of Magic at Hogwarts this year. Since Professor Binns was, sad to say, exorcised by that hapless group of Slytherin first years, the position was vacant and Headmaster Dumbledore asked if I could take it…there is more to it than just a teaching position but, well, you know, Ministry business." Percy held himself up proudly.

Ron paled to the extent that his freckles looked almost black. Harry smiled and Hermione was still looking at the cloak, touching it delicately as if it were a precious treasure.

"No, Dumbledore would never do that to me. This is worse than Snape" he said in a hollow voice.

Harry smacked Ron on the shoulder with a big grin.

"No more sleeping in class for you, Ron. Percy will be the first living Professor we've had in that course."  
  
Ron frowned.

"Not when I get through with him," he said through a clenched jaw.

"Oh, come on, Ron," Hermione chucked him playfully on the chin, "it's not that bad. You might actually enjoy the class…take it as a sort of competition…see which Weasley will win in that wizarding collection of dates, places and events that makes up History of Magic. The drama of the Druids. The troubles of the Trolls. The greatness of the Goblins." she breathed in a sultry voice, wringing her hands together for effect.

Harry looked at her as if she had suddenly told them she was going to the Yule Ball with Crabbe.

Ron sighed, "You forgot the weirdness of the Witch Hermione."

Harry nodded, "Uh, right. Hermione, we are going to go to the Quidditch supplies store and we'll meet you in front of Ollivanders in about half an hour. Come on Ron," he practically dragged the red haired boy with him and, within moments, they were both lost in the crowd.

Percy coloured slightly…just now, her voice…it had reminded him of…

"Honestly you boys are completely hopeless," Hermione threw her hands up in a dismissive gesture. She turned to Percy and noticed that he had a faraway look in his eyes.

"Percy?" she said in a low voice and touched his arm gently.

Percy, still somewhat dazed, grabbed her hand and kissed it, then pressed it to his heart.

Hermione was in shock. She could not move. She could feel Percy's heart racing beneath her trembling fingertips. Her heart was racing too. This had to stop. She tapped him gently on the shoulder, trying to bring him back from that distant place.

Percy looked down at her and, in the instant before his eyes cleared, Hermione found herself looking into a gaze of pure love. She shivered in response. Then, it was gone. He released her hand, blushing furiously and apologizing profusely for his behaviour.

"Don't fret about it, Percy," she heard herself say, "You've been under a lot of strain lately and this new assignment must be very important in order for you to need to be so close to Dumbledore. If there is anything I can help you with, let me know. If I can help The Boy Who Lived, I can certainly help his best friend's older brother," she smiled, trying to ease his discomfort…and hers.

"Where are you going?" Percy asked, somewhat shaken.

"Flourish & Blotts. I need some supplies. I already have all the textbooks…I usually pick them up at the beginning of summer so that I can read them before the new school year starts. I am trying to get into Auror training and I need really high marks," Hermione knew she was rambling but couldn't help herself.

"You can never start studying for NEWTs too early. I need to go to Flourish & Blotts myself to pick up the textbooks I need for my classes this year. I'll walk with you."

The pair walked to the bookstore in silence, secretly wondering what the other was thinking. Percy held the door open for Hermione, an awkwardly formal gesture, and then they separated briefly to pick up what is was they needed. They paid for their purchases and stood outside the store, trying to think of something to say.

"I have to go meet Ron and Harry now," Hermione broke the silence.

"Hopefully, Ron will not have spent all his money on Cannons regalia," Percy smiled nervously.

"That would not surprise me in the least. I will see you at Hogwarts then, Percy. I think you will do a great job."

"Thank you, Hermione, I am looking forward to going back to Hogwarts."

"Goodbye and thank you for being so good about…well, the situation I inadvertently put you in."

"Don't mention it. Goodbye Hermione."

Hermione walked over to Ollivanders with a strange feeling in the pit of her stomach. That look he gave her…no one had ever looked at her like that. It was like being swept away in a wave of warmth and comfort she had never known before. She felt so cold now and so alone. What had happened just then?

Percy, walking back towards the Leaky Cauldron, was wondering the exact same thing.


	3. On the Outside Looking In

Disclaimer: Anything you recognize does not belong to me but to the goddess, JKR **__**

Disclaimer: Anything you recognize does not belong to me but to the goddess, JKR. Thank you again to my wonderful reviewers who are making this story a lot of fun for me to write. This chapter is somewhat shorter than the others. Constructive reviews are always encouraged. Flamers will be assessed a two-minute minor penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct (I'm a hockey fanatic!!). I hope you enjoy this interlude.

**Chapter Three: On the Outside Looking In**

Percy looked at the small bottle in his hand and debated whether or not he should take its contents as recommended. It really wasn't like him not to be decisive and in control but the last couple of years had taken a toll on him even if he did not show the fact to the rest of the world.

"Twenty one years old, great job, reasonably good looking, good health, a great family…what more do I want?" he asked himself.

"What indeed?" his mind answered in a rather snide way.

"I have a perfect life," he got up and walked to the mirror in his room. He wasn't home often and he told himself that was the reason he was having trouble sleeping.

"My dear, you have a wonderful life but it is cold, bleak and empty," the mirror remarked.

Percy frowned at the intrusive piece of furniture. 

"It would almost be worth the seven years bad luck just to smash the thing," he thought, then he sighed, "I had better take a walk. I'm never going to sleep like this." Percy threw on a light robe and stepped out of his room, closing the door carefully behind him.

The Burrow was a quiet place in the middle of the night. With all the assorted Weasleys passing through like redheaded hurricanes, it seemed to be the only time when tranquility reigned. Well, unless you counted Fred and George's synchronized snoring, Ron's whistling and Ginny's giggles. He couldn't remember whether Bill and Charlie had been peaceful sleepers or not. He frowned in the darkness. For some reason, not remembering bothered him. 

The only person he peeked in on before heading out was his sister, Ginny. He loved her the best and was, he admitted freely, a little over-protective of her. She was sleeping quietly except for the occasional giggle, her red hair draping over her pillow.

"Probably dreaming about Harry," he thought. Well, he wasn't blind, was he? He could see how the two acted around one another even if no one else did.

"Besides," he rationalized, "he is probably the only one I would consider to be worthy of her."

He closed her door again and walked out of the house. He was beginning to feel somewhat suffocated and needed the fresh air.

It was a warm summer night and Percy breathed the night air in deeply. Looking up, he gazed thoughtfully at the few stars visible behind rather ominous-looking clouds. He then noticed the moon, beautiful and creamy-white, floating majestically in the sky…queen of the night sky. It made him think of Professor Lupin.

"A thing of beauty is a joy forever…someone said that once a long time ago…for poor Professor Lupin this celestial thing of beauty is a curse forever," he thought.

Looking around, he quickly chose a trail through the surrounding countryside and started walking. The ground was cool and damp and the atmosphere was peaceful, tranquil and even the normal sounds of owls hooting softly or the scurrying of raccoons simply added to the calming effect.

He finally reached the creek and sat down on a rock adjacent to it. He took off his boots and his socks and dangled his feet in the cool water. For a long moment, he simply drank in the sensation of being alone.

"But is that what you really want?" a part of himself asked. He knew what his answer was.

Some time ago he would have admitted it freely. That was when his heart had not been broken. When he believed that Amor Omnia Vincit…love conquers all. That was when he thought he had found someone that could take away the awful loneliness he always felt….before…his world came crashing down around him when he learned that he had been played for a fool. He never showed how hurt he had been. No one could have ever guessed the depths to which he had sunk…no one was privy to that.

He sighed.

"Part of my problem," he admitted, " is that I have always isolated myself…even from my own family. Always held something back. Don't show weakness. Don't show hesitation. Don't show anything. Keep all your feelings inside and present a calm and cultured face to the world. All I wanted was to make them proud of me…what has happened to me since then? I can't even remember the last time I hugged Mom."

Percy stared stonily at the bubbling water of the brook. He wished, for a fierce and wild moment, that he could be as carefree as that. He quickly tossed that thought away.

"I have responsibilities now…important responsibilities. I have people who are counting on me. I have an important assignment coming up at Hogwarts. Dumbledore himself picked me for this and, even though I knew it was both risky and complicated, I took it. It is what I have always strived for, a chance to prove myself worthy. Why can I not be happy with just that? Why do I want something more? Why do I want to risk getting hurt all over again?"

He lifted his feet from the cool water and placed them on the rock. Hugging his knees tightly, Percy closed his eyes and thought of a soft and gentle kiss, naïve yet full of promise. Her voice had reminded him of the dreams that had haunted him since…well, for quite some time. Dreams that had practically made him a living zombie. In fact, it hadn't been until he had obtained the Potion of Dreamless Sleep that he had been able to maintain some semblance of normality in his everyday life. 

"Normal…hah…everyone thinks I am in control of every aspect in my life. If they could see what I hide…" he thought.

But he quickly built up a tolerance to the potion so that it was no longer infallible. He could remember snippets of those dreams from time to time, like those muggle photographs that didn't move…individual vignettes of a subconscious nocturnal journey, which was always the same. Someone calling him…a warm touch…a soft kiss…someone needing him, wanting him…then emptiness. That was the worst part.

"I don't want this emptiness…this loneliness. I don't always want to be on the outside looking in, I want…" the false exterior of pride cracked momentarily as he pondered what his heart was telling him. For several moments, he just sat there, rocking slightly, trying to ease the ache in his heart.

Feeling something falling on his hair, Percy opened his eyes and, looking up, saw that it was beginning to rain. He quickly put his socks and shoes back on and, wrapping his robe around himself tightly, walked quickly back to the house. He entered quietly and hurried to his room.

Throwing on his nightshirt, his eye fell on the bottle once again. He picked it up and frowned at it.

"What am I going to do?" he wondered.

Not even the mirror had an answer for once.

Maybe…


	4. Evil on the Hogwarts Express

Disclaimer: Nothing you recognize is mine but belongs to the goddess, JKR **__**

Disclaimer: Nothing you recognize is mine but belongs to the goddess, JKR. Many thanks once again to my wonderful reviewers who continue to make this story a labour of love. This chapter is one of the reasons for the R rating. It is a violent situation and it is somewhat graphic so be warned. Please review constructively. Flamers will be given a yellow card (World Cup next year!!).

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Chapter Four: Evil on the Hogwarts Express

Harry, Ron, Ginny and Hermione managed to find a compartment to themselves on the Hogwarts Express. It had been the usual hustle and bustle to get them to Platform 9 3/4 on time. Mr. & Mrs. Weasley had accompanied them and Hermione found herself praised and complimented once again on her appointment as Head Girl by her best friend's parents.

"We are so very proud of you, Hermione," Mrs. Weasley said with tears in her eyes. Hermione was like a second daughter to her and thought she had been a good influence on Ron.

"Yes, Molly, we always knew she would be top of her class…I'm a good judge of this sort of thing and your parents are the best sort of Muggles…loving, accepting and very intelligent. Even if you had not been a witch, you would have become a most accomplished Muggle," Arthur Weasley beamed.

Hermione blushed graciously…it was indeed high praise from a couple she loved dearly.

"She reminds me so much of Percy," Molly sniffed into her handkerchief.

Hermione stiffened. What did they mean by that? Did they know she had been thinking about him? 

"I'm being silly," she thought to herself, "No one can really read minds…can they?"

"Funny how similar the two of you are, really. Both with a lot of brains, a lot of talent and a limitless drive for perfection," Arthur gazed at her thoughtfully as if expecting an answer. Hermione was starting to feel uncomfortable and began to fidget.

"Oh please, Mom, Hermione is a whole lot less pompous than our dear Percy," Ron protested…his trunk was rather heavy and he was having a hard time dragging it onto the train. Pigwidgeon, flying in circles around his head, wasn't helping matters any.

"And a whole lot better looking too," Harry whispered to Ron who promptly started laughing so hard he lost his grip on his trunk and it proceeded to land, rather painfully, on his foot.

"Ouch!!!" he shouted, drawing Mrs. Weasley to him in an instant (Harry thought she practically apparated for how fast she moved).

After Mrs. Weasley performed a quick numbing spell (luckily, the big toe wasn't broken, just badly bruised and, therefore, easily taken care of), they herded the group into their compartment with lots of good wishes, kisses, sandwiches and cakes. As they settled into their seats, the train slowly pulled out of the station…they were on their way!

"Finally," Hermione sighed softly. She couldn't wait to get to Hogwarts…for strictly scholastic reasons of course…at least that was what she kept telling herself.

Not long into the trip, while Hermione was reading her Potions textbook (noting that they were finally being allowed to brew healing potions to some of the deadlier poisons in the wizarding world).

"Hmmm," she thought, "Snape will probably poison Harry first and then test the healing potions on him."

Harry and Ron got into a heated discussion about the upcoming quidditch season. Harry was now the Captain of the Gryffindor team and Ron was Keeper. Their conversation revolved around coming up with new strategies and almost always seemed to involve waylaying Draco Malfoy in some way or another. 

Ginny, getting tired of all the quidditch talk, left to seek out some of her friends from sixth year. Hermione picked up her Transfiguration textbook and started to read it…again.

About halfway through the journey, the lady with the food cart came by and they ordered some pumpkin pasties, some Bertie Botts Every Flavour Beans, licorice wands and Droobles Best Blowing Gum as well as a nice pile of Chocolate Frogs. They were so deep into a conversation about who was going to be the Defence Against Dark Arts teacher (the vampire they had had the previous year, who was actually pretty good, had been most unfortunately impaled by a mob and had consequently had his decapitated head stuffed with garlic and buried separately from his body…there was just no way of reviving him) they failed to notice the door to their compartment slowly open…

"Well, well, well. If it isn't Potty, the Weasel and the Mudblood," a drawling voice indicated the unwelcome arrival of Draco Malfoy. Crabbe and Goyle stood behind him like statues…ugly statues…ugly troll-like statues.

Hermione looked at the pale boy with undisguised dislike. 

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the Demon Seed. Go get yourself some new material, Malfoy, and don't let the compartment door hit you too hard on your way out" she said airily as Harry and Ron snickered appreciatively.

"Now, where are your manners?" Draco smiled evilly, taking a couple of deliberate steps towards her.

"You should talk…I'd be surprised if you even knew what the word means," Ron remarked sarcastically.

"Hey, there are plenty of dictionaries at the Hogwarts library…we'll get him one," Harry chimed in.

Draco looked at the two boys sharply and frowned. He then turned his attention back to Hermione.

"I understand that you have been made Head Girl this year," he said in a completely casual voice as if he were an old friend discussing the weather.

"It must be killing you. Daddy Dearest must not have taken the news too well," Harry remarked dryly.

Draco shot a look of pure venom at the dark haired boy. With an effort, he resumed his casual air and turned back to Hermione.

"Being Head Girl is a great responsibility and a great honour. Pity that it is wasted this year on a Mudblood of no account…"

Before Harry and Ron had a chance to react, Hermione had jumped out of her seat and ran right up to Draco. She whipped out her wand in a smooth, fluid motion and pointed it directly between his eyes. 

"I suggest you leave, Malfoy. I have been learning several interesting spells from the real Alastor Moody. A ferret is nothing compared to what I will do with you, "she jabbed at his forehead to make her point clear.

"You are still an underage wizard, you are not allowed to use a spell," Draco's eyes narrowed as he practically spit the words out.

"Don't tempt me," she said quietly but clearly.

Harry watched the exchange. Something did not seem right. Draco wasn't usually like this.

For a moment, Draco seemed to consider his options. Ron could see Draco's fist clenching and unclenching. Finally, Draco motioned to the two ugly troll-like statues to leave and he edged out backwards. 

"I warn you, Mudblood, this is not over," he sneered at her as he closed the door.

Hermione let out her breath and sat down with her friends, her eyes still blazing with unspoken fury. After a few minutes, she had calmed down somewhat.

"I'm impressed, Hermione," Harry turned to her with a smile, "How the heck did you move so fast?"

"You scared the snot out of Malfoy…he must have been thinking you just might turn him into a ferret…ah, such a wonderful memory," Ron started grinning.

"Look, I was angry and I reacted without thinking. Malfoy just knows how to get under my skin," she shrugged. She didn't really want to talk about it a whole lot. Draco had never confronted her so boldly before…on the Hogwarts Express…too brazen. Maybe he was a full-fledged Death Eater now and didn't care to hide his true colours. Hermione shook her head, trying to clear the confusion. 

Harry clapped her on the shoulder, shaking her out of her reverie. Her face pinked slightly.

"Hey," he said, "don't apologize…you stood up to that junior Death Eater."

"Yeah," Ron agreed, his mouth full of chocolate frogs, "he now knows that you don't mess with Hermione Granger, Head Girl and Witch Extraordinaire!"

"Here, here!" exclaimed Harry, now with a headless chocolate frog in each hand.

Hermione laughed with her friends and they all settled down to enjoy a leisurely lunch (even the sandwiches were good!).

After lunch, Hermione excused herself to go to the bathroom. She walked down the corridor of the train, humming a tune quietly to herself when suddenly, she felt a tingle in the air which made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up… an omen of dark magic! Before she could draw her wand, a hand clapped itself roughly over her mouth and another one snaked around her waist, deftly removing her wand in the process. She was dragged to a nearby compartment. The door opened and she was thrown in unceremoniously and landed on the floor in a heap. She scrambled to her feet quickly.

"We have unfinished business, Mudblood. No one threatens me like that and walks away unscathed," the cold voice of Draco Malfoy grated against her ears. His cold steel-grey eyes did not betray any emotion but a small vein in his forehead was pulsing madly. Hermione started to feel afraid and looked around for a means of escape.

Draco moved closer.

"Don't even think of trying to escape. I have sealed off the compartment…it's a convenience of Dark Magic to be able to do this sort of thing. Not that you, the righteous Gryffindor, would ever go outside the rules like that, would you? It's too late, Mudblood. No one can hear you and you cannot get out."

Hermione was trying to think of something to say…anything. He was acting like a madman!

"What are you going to do with me?" Hermione managed to keep the wavering note of fear out of her voice.

Draco laughed mercilessly and took a step towards her. She took a step backwards, almost stumbling on a kink in the carpeting.

"Oh, don't look at me like that…I am not planning on killing you…that would be most awkward. Oh no, you and I are going to have a little…fun, shall we say? I suppose I could use the Imperius Curse on you…but 'au naturel' as the French would say it, is so much more enjoyable…really, screaming can be such a turn-on."

Hermione started to panic as Draco came even closer with an evil gleam in his eyes. She looked around desperately and started backing away until her back was against the door of the compartment. There was no where else to go…

Draco suddenly lunged and grabbed her roughly. She struggled with all her might but she was no match for his physical strength. He pushed her down onto the floor of the compartment, her head striking it with enough force to momentarily daze her. He positioned his weight to pin her to the ground. She felt his hands on her body, fumbling with her garments. She felt tears coming to her eyes.

"This can't be happening…" she was screaming silently as she tried to regain control over her limbs.

Snapping to her senses, she again began to struggle and was met with a slap, which made her see stars. As tears coursed down her cheeks, she stared defiantly at Draco who glared right back at her with hate and the sheer evil joy of domination. He held her arms down and laughed at her.

"No," she cried weakly, the side of her face still stinging.

"No? I don't remember giving you any choice in the matter, Mudblood," and with that his mouth covered hers in a violent kiss, rough, bruising and devoid of anything even remotely human. 

"No! No! No!" she thought as she continued to struggle in vain. He was shifting his body and forcing her legs apart…

Suddenly the door to the compartment exploded into pieces. Draco was thrown off of Hermione by the sheer force of the explosion. Hermione struggled to get to her feet and pulled her robes tightly around herself but her body wasn't really doing what she asked. She saw an unconscious Draco being dragged away by what she assumed was a security wizard. She closed her eyes, the realization of what had almost happened suddenly dawned on her and she curled up in a ball on the floor and began to shake uncontrollably.

Within seconds, she felt someone pick her up and cradle her, whispering words of comfort. She felt warmer and less frightened. She opened her eyes…her vision was a little blurry but she could clearly make out the distinctive red hair…

"Don't let me go," she whispered weakly before fainting.

"I won't," he whispered, more to himself.

The security wizard re-entered the compartment with a mediwizard. 

"Don't worry, Professor Weasley," the mediwizard said in answer to Percy's unspoken concern, "I am only going to use a medical assessment spell to determine whether or not there is any physical injury,"

Percy nodded although he could not help holding Hermione's limp form slightly closer as the mediwizard's wand began to emit a pinkish aura which enveloped the young girl without actually touching her.

"She has not suffered any major injury although she has a rather nasty bruise on the side of her face which is easily remedied. I will let her friends know that she is all right. Your sudden appearance at their compartment left them rather frantic."

Percy nodded mutely. The mediwizard left the compartment quietly.

The security wizard spoke up. If he found anything unusual about the fact that Percy was still holding Hermione, he gave no hint of it.

"It was as you suspected, sir, a group of shape-shifters loyal to You-Know-Who. They are currently being held in a special containment field, ready for questioning…not that I think you will get much out of them. Oh, and here is Miss Granger's wand," he placed it on a nearby table. Percy nodded.

"I will be there shortly after I bring Herm…Miss Granger to the infirmary compartment. Please be sure that all necessary security precautions are taken," the security wizard nodded and then he too left the compartment.

Percy looked down at the Hermione's face and shuddered involuntarily. When he had realized that the detection spells had gone off, indicating the use of dark magic, he could never have realized the scope of the danger. His anger had been so great he could have killed the shape-shifters without so much as a second thought. What was this strange protective urge that seemed to well up from deep inside when it came to her? This need to keep her safe as if his own life depended on it? Holding her close somehow felt so…so right.

He shook his head slightly. What was he thinking? He was a Ministry official while she was a Hogwarts student four years his junior. They had nothing in common. He was just being a good friend; a concerned friend…that was all…wasn't it?

He stood up and, with her still in his arms, walked towards the open door of the compartment. Before he left its confines, he leaned his head down and kissed her forehead. She smiled slightly but did not wake up.

"That's not all it is," a part of him said quietly as he walked to the infirmary compartment.

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A/N: Chapter Five will come out in about a week.


	5. Panic

Disclaimer: Anything you recognize does not belong to me but to the goddess JKR **__**

Disclaimer: Anything you recognize does not belong to me but to the goddess JKR. Many thanks to my reviewers who are the best in the world. I hope you enjoy this chapter. As always, constructive reviews are encouraged. Flamers will get 20 yards for unnecessary roughness (did I mention I like football preferably the CFL…that's the Canadian Football League with 3 downs, a 110 yard field and no fair catch…Argos all the way!!)

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Chapter Five: Panic 

Harry and Ron had been horrified to hear that Hermione had been attacked. When Percy had shown up at their compartment demanding to know where she was…they had panicked and had almost succeeded in trampling the older Weasley. It was the security wizards who forced them to stay behind while Percy frantically searched the rest of the train for their friend.

"Shape shifters…it's been years since they last surfaced," Harry thought anxiously, "Why would they attack Hermione and not me? Why pose as Draco and his two thugs? Why not pose as someone we would trust? It doesn't make sense…none of this makes any sense."

Harry was furious with himself. He should have known that something was not quite right the moment the fake Draco had walked into their compartment. He had had his wand ready and yet, something had stayed his hand. Maybe they had put a spell on him. That thought did not make him feel much better.

Ron had taken it particularly hard. It was one thing for Harry to get attacked…one almost got accustomed to that…but Hermione…that was definitely unnerving.

"She…she was almost ra…I can't even think about it without feeling sick," he thought with his head in his hands, "Why her?"

The other students were not told all the details…they were simply informed that there had been an attack on a student but that there was no injury and the malefactors had been caught and were in the process of being sent to Azkabhan.

Harry and Ron stayed with Hermione in the infirmary compartment for the remainder of the trip. Hermione had heard that Percy had gone to accompany the shape-shifters to their awful destination. She wanted to thank him for saving her.

The trip from the train station to Hogwarts was uneventful. As they entered their beloved school, a rather shaky Hermione assured them that she was fine and would see Madame Pomfrey. Ron and Harry wanted to assign themselves as her personal bodyguards.

"We just want to make sure you are all right. Wherever you go, we'll go too," Harry remarked.

"Yeah, besides, you're almost always in the library so it won't be that hard keeping up with you," Ron grinned.

"Really?" Hermione asked with a small grin of her own, "And do you plan to accompany me to the showers or perhaps watch over me while I am sleeping?"

Ron and Harry looked at one another quickly and they both turned the same bright shade of red.

"Well," they said in unison, "maybe not there."

Hermione hugged her friends.

"This is Hogwarts we're talking about…nothing can get me here. You guys are the best, though. You…and Percy," she added.

"Yeah, Percy. I still can't believe that he actually did something semi-heroic," Ron mused with a sardonic frown on his face, as if he were trying to dissect the image of his brother and not succeeding, "He has always been the type to talk but not always to act. Well, he did a good thing for once and I am glad that he was there when we weren't."

Hermione smiled.

"Look, you two. I need to see Madame Pomfrey for a quick check-up and then I will meet you at the Sorting Feast. Don't worry, I'll be fine."

"You know something, Hermione," Harry said in a serious tone, "You really are amazing. I don't know what we'd do without you."  
  
Ron nodded emphatically and, with a wave, they raced down the hallway.

Hermione watched them go and then slowly turned to go the infirmary. She began to shiver and the images of what had almost happened on the train replayed themselves in her mind. It was one thing to put a brave face on the situation when Harry and Ron were around. It was quite another when she was alone.

"I have to get through this…I have NEWTs to think about…I have a life…I have to help Harry and Ron…I can't let this get to me," she told herself firmly. But, as she looked around her, it seemed that the corridor was darker than usual, that the shadows appeared more menacing and that the normal drafts carried the ethereal whispers of evil soulless creatures. She really began to shake.

"What am I going to do?" she thought to herself in terror. She was paralyzed with anxiety and her eyes darted fearfully all over the corridor, searching out her imagined attackers. Feeling completely powerless and overwhelmed, she broke down in convulsive sobs and huddled herself in a ball, her back against the cold wall. She had no sense of time, no sense of where she was, no sense of who she was. Her fear consumed her….she was oblivious to her surroundings and didn't notice hurried footsteps coming towards her. It was only when she felt a light touch on her arm that she jumped up in a sheer panic, wand drawn, ready to fight.

"It's only me, Hermione."

"Get away from me, monster!" she shrieked.

"Hermione, please calm down."

"I said stay away or I…I will curse you," she looked wild…like a cornered animal.

"Hermione, I am not going to hurt you. It's me. It's Percy. Please calm down. I am very worried about you."

Hermione put her hands to her ears to block out his voice and shook her head violently.

"You are trying to trick me. You want to hurt me again. I won't let you." And with that, she raised her wand.

Percy took out his wand in haste.

"Hermione, please don't do this. Please. I'm your friend. I would never hurt you. I would die before I would let those bastards even get near you again. You have to believe me," he pleaded.

"Shut up. I don't want to hear your lies…" she began an incantation, wand circling and a glimmer of violet sparkles appearing rather ominously at its tip.

Percy saw he had no choice and firmly, although with a heavy heart, he pointed his wand directly at her…

"Obliviate!"

Hermione's eyes glazed over and she began to sway. Percy managed to catch her falling form and deftly lifted her so that he could carry her to the infirmary. 

His heart thudded strangely as he held her unconscious form. He was afraid to analyze his confused thoughts too closely because that would bring him to Penelope and how she had betrayed his love for her. At the time he had vowed he would never love again…one of those impetuous promises a person makes when their feelings have been completely shattered. He had resolutely held onto that promise until one day, sitting in a pub, someone had snuck up behind him and kissed him. That, it seemed, had changed everything.

The journey to the infirmary seemed to take mere moments. He quickly entered, practically kicking the door open.

"Madam Pomfrey! Madam Pomfrey! Where are you?" he shouted.

Madam Pomfrey bustled out immediately and let out a shriek as she saw the unconscious form that he carried.

"Professor Weasley! What happened…that…that is Hermione Granger!" she motioned Percy towards an empty cot where he gently lay her down. Madam Pomfrey immediately covered her with a warm blanket. Hermione did not stir.

"Poor dear. I heard about the incident on the train. Got an owl directly from the security team. It's a good thing you were there otherwise…" she shuddered. Percy felt nervous prickles go the length of his spine…he really did not want to think about that.

"I heard crying in a corridor and I found her huddled in a heap, backed up against the wall. I spoke to her but she started screaming about how I was going to hurt her and that she was going to curse me first. I tried to reason with her but she pointed her wand right at me and started…I had no choice…I had to perform the "Obliviate" curse. She…she hasn't moved since." Percy sat down on a small chair by the cot, put his head in his hands and took several ragged breaths in an effort to calm himself down. He then lifted his head and looked at Hermione. His face betrayed how guilty he felt for having done that to her.

Madam Pomfrey looked at Percy in sympathy.

"I understand, Professor. No one can blame you for what you did." She then pulled out her wand and, muttering things Percy could not understand, waved it over the unconscious form. She then summoned a rather large book and, after consulting several pages, sent it back to its shelf.

"Although I was fairly certain that it was simply a manifestation of post-traumatic stress, I wanted to be absolutely sure that there wasn't some latent curse at work here. She is physically sound. Emotionally, well, that is understandable."

"She seemed fine right after the incident," Percy muttered. He suddenly felt very stupid. He should have realized that she was in shock, "Damn."

"I am not surprised. Many people, when faced with an experience like the one Miss Granger went through, are often perfectly normal for a time afterward until the full force of what happened or, as in this case, what might have happened, hits them and they snap and can suffer from delusions, panic attacks, nightmares. She will get through this but she will need understanding from her friends. As her sense of security returns, she will be back to her old self. It will take time but it will happen."

Percy nodded mutely.

"If you could awaken her, Professor," she continued, "I will prepare a nice steaming mug of hot chocolate and my own special sleeping elixir so that she will not suffer any nightmares," she patted Hermione's hand gently. "The poor dear. Always worrying about something happening to others, Harry, Ron, Neville. One of our best students…she is Head Girl this year, you know. Reminds me of you sometimes." And with that, she returned to her office where she kept her medicinal herbs and potions.

Percy looked at Hermione again and felt his cheeks warming slightly. Why did Madam Pomfrey just say that? Did they really have that much in common or was he simply reading too much into the vague remarks of a mediwitch. Shaking his head, he pointed his wand at Hermione…

"Ennervate," he muttered.

Immediately, Hermione's eyes opened and she tried to sit up. Percy put a hand on her shoulders to stop her.

"It's okay. You're in the infirmary. You're going to be fine," he forced his voice to stay calm and neutral. He didn't want to upset her.

She glanced around the room and then her eyes settled on him. 

"What happened?" she asked tiredly.

"What do you remember?" was his cautious reply.

Her forehead creased as she tried to think back.

"I had just left Harry and Ron and was coming here…I heard noises…then I…then you," her eyes opened wide with horror and she sat up quickly, "I thought you were them…I was going to curse you…oh, Percy. I am so sorry," she covered her face with her hands and began to cry.

Percy hesitated…then he reached out and took her hands away from her tear-streaked face. 

"You have nothing to apologize for. I…I should have stayed with you to keep an eye on you and make sure you were all right. Don't feel guilty."

Hermione looked at him with a little trepidation and looked down at her hands, still clasped in his.

"I am so scared," she whispered, "I can't stand losing control of myself like this and making a fool out of myself.".

"You have just been through a terrible experience. Of course you are scared. Just remember that you are surrounded by friends who will help you. Harry and Ron, you know they would do anything for you and I know for a fact that they don't think you made a fool of yourself. Anyone who thinks that is not worth worrying about."

She nodded.

"What about you?" she asked, still looking at him seriously.

He looked at her for a moment, not sure what he should say.

"I am your friend. You…you already know what I think," he said simply.

Hermione smiled slightly and released his hands long enough to lean forward and embrace him. Percy was taken aback by this move and stiffened slightly. He recovered quickly, however, and put his arms around her as well, holding her close but not too close. 

"Thank you," she whispered into his ear, "thank you for saving me.". 

"I'm just glad that I got there in time," he said quietly.

"If anything had happened to you…" he thought to himself and gently pulled away from her embrace, carefully ignoring a sense of disappointment and loss as he did so.

"I'll let the others know you are okay. I am sure Harry and Ron will be here to see you as soon as Madam Pomfrey says it's okay," he said.

He got up to leave just as Madam Pomfrey came back with her steaming cocoa.

"If you like, I will come to check on you from time to time." 

She smiled, "Yes, I would like that."

He patted her hand gently and walked out of the room, robes swishing as he went. 

Madam Pomfrey sat down on Hermione's bed and handed her the steaming mug.

"This will help your body recover and there's a little extra something that will let you sleep without dreams," she told Hermione gently.

Hermione put the mug on the bedside table and reached over to hug Madam Pomfrey who seemed surprised at such an emotional display but hugged her back nonetheless.

"Are you sure you are all right, my dear?"

"I just wanted to thank you for always taking such good care of us," Hermione said shyly, "it's like having a mom watching over us. I feel safe with you."

Madam Pomfrey beamed and her eyes betrayed the suspicious sparkle of unshed tears.

"If there is anything else you need, please ask," Madam Pomfrey handed Hermione the mug of chocolate, "you are surrounded by friends and they are what will get you through this awful experience. No one goes through life without a few battle scars, so to speak, but it is your friendships which help them heal. You have always had Harry and Ron, two boys I would trust my life with, and you also have Professor Weasley…poor young man…frantic when he came in here. I have never seen him lose control like that. Well, it has been a most trying day. The best thing you can do for yourself is to drink that all up and have a good long rest. I am going to suggest to the Headmaster that you remain here for a week. Your friends will make sure you do not fall behind in your schoolwork…although I don't think that was ever an issue with you, my dear. I am sure your friends will be by tonight," she gave Hermione a warm smile and drew the curtains around her cot so that she could have some privacy.

Hermione sipped her hot chocolate. It tasted wonderful with hints of vanilla and cinnamon. When it was finished, she lay down and felt herself slipping into sleep.

"How did you know it was me they were after?" was her last conscious thought…

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A/N Chapter Six will arrive in around a week…keep smiling!!


	6. Several Conversations

Chapter Five: Visitors and Conversations **__**

Disclaimer: Nothing you recognize belongs to me but to the goddess JKR. Thanks again to my reviewers ::group hug everyone:: and to the readers who like the story so much they don't know how to put it into words (I am so sarcastic sometimes…slap on the wrist for me!). Hope you enjoy this continuing story and please review constructively. Flames will be sent to Calgary (if you follow the NHL you will understand the reference…I am not from Calgary myself but it is a great city which did an awesome job with the 1988 Winter Olympics…who can forget the Battle of the Brians?).

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Chapter Six: Several Conversations

Although Hermione was not allowed to attend the first week of classes, she insisted that Ron and Harry bring her homework to the infirmary where she carefully completed it. They filled her in on all the happenings.

"Neville destroyed a record three cauldrons in one day."

"And he turned a fourth one a lovely shade of green today…pretty amazing!"

"No, amazing would describe the change in Snape."

"Yeah, he is being sort of civil to all the students…even the Gryffindors. I never thought I'd see the day."

"This attack on you has bothered him a lot. There is this strange pause when he calls attendance and comes to your name…he never skips it though. I don't know. Maybe Voldemort caught him by surprise with this attack."

"Or maybe he found out about it too late to be able to do anything. If you ask me, he looks a lot more pale than usual and those circles under his eyes make him look like a raccoon…a scowling, hook-nosed raccoon."

"The spying is getting to him. It has been over two years now since he has had to do this…he must be ready to crack. Can you imagine, trying to keep track of all the lies, trying to be You-Know-Who's most intimate confidant when all you are trying to do is destroy him and trying to appear like the world's mightiest bastard when, in fact, he is actually a…well, a good guy…sort of."

"On another note, Draco is being his usual annoying self…the stupid git."

"Luckily he hasn't said anything nasty about you or else he would be the amazing ferret boy once again."

"You know, it is sort of strange that he hasn't said something about the whole thing. He would usually be the first to revel in anything like this. Oh well, McGonagall has been worried sick over you, Hermione, not that that is news to you."

"Yeah, no one else can change their white dove into a porcelain teapot and the old girl is getting frustrated."

"Well, Seamus did manage to change it into something."

"Changing it into a black pigeon was not what she had in mind."

"Oh, and Hermione, you are going to love this one. Hagrid has managed to procure a baby Chimera for Care of Magical Creatures. For some reason, Dumbledore is okay with it…maybe it will provide security for Hogwarts when it's grown. Hagrid couldn't be happier."

"Baby chimeras are pretty interesting…even Lavender thought it was kind of cute."

"Lupin is one of the best, hands down. He is a natural at Defence Against the Dark Arts and we all look forward to his classes. Even the Slytherins treat him better now…maybe they are afraid he will track them down on a full moon if they don't. Hah…even a werewolf has better taste than that."

"We are learning detection spells to see if someone has hexed our food or drinks and we are learning perimeter spells to protect our houses or rooms from the more common curses and attacks. It is pretty neat stuff."

"History of Magic is pretty good too."

"Come on Ron, Percy is doing great. What a difference a living teacher makes."

"Okay, he is a pretty good teacher. I'll grant him that. I've always said that he enjoys nothing better than the sound of his own voice."

"He is pretty popular too. The girls go crazy over him."

"That's just because he is the youngest professor here and the only one even remotely close to their age. Stupid twits. As if Pompous Percy has one thought in his brain that doesn't have something to do with his job at Hogwarts and whatever else Dumbledore is asking him to do. He doesn't have a heart and anything he did have was destroyed by that…that…"

"You're talking about Penelope, right?"

"Yeah, she sure played him for a fool. You know, I sort of feel sorry for him. The one time he actually thinks with his heart rather than that overstuffed head of his and he ends up being betrayed like that. Pretty horrible if you ask me. 'Course, he never shows anything so I don't know how hurt he actually was…bit of a cold fish, really. Don't know if he will ever want to try his luck again after that fiasco."

Hermione pondered over this new information. She immediately felt a surge of dislike for the girl who had spurned Percy's affection. It must have been horrible…whatever the situation was. But she did not agree with Ron's assessment of Percy's personality. He was not cold, aloof or pompous…at least, not with her.

Hermione was shaken out of her reverie by her friends' continued banter.

"Oh, and we've saved the best for last, Hermione."

"Yeah, Divination has always been our most beloved subject - ha and double ha!! Well, after Trelawney goes into her usual spiel about Harry's pending and particularly gruesome death, she made a prediction about you, which is strange since you aren't even in her class."

"It was priceless…something about your heart triumphing over your mind and that…what was it?"

"Love will find you despite your best efforts."

"Don't believe a word that crackpot says. She's just an old fraud."

Hermione listened to every word her friends said and felt a sense of déja-vu when she heard what Professor Trelawney had said…although she couldn't think why. When Harry and Ron were there with her, she felt much stronger and less scared. She had told them the whole story of what had happened and, much as Madam Pomfrey said, they told her how brave she was and that they would help her get through this.

"Besides," Harry grinned, "I can't defeat Voldemort without you. No offence, Ron."

Ginny usually came to visit during lunch hour and soon settled into a comfortable routine of bringing Hermione up to date on the latest gossip and who liked who and who was going with whom and who was breaking up with whom. She thought it was pretty funny that a lot of the 6th and 7th year girls were trying to catch Percy's eye, not that she thought anyone really had a chance with him. 

"He just doesn't feel anything," she summed it up.

When she talked about Harry, it became obvious to Hermione that this youngest Weasley still loved him very much and was hopeful that this year would be the one where he would notice her. Hermione made a mental note to talk to Harry about that. After all, she was the only one who knew that Harry loved Ginny but was scared to approach her because Voldemort might target her if they became a couple.

Neville, Seamus and Dean usually visited in the mornings between breakfast and first class. They always brought her pumpkin juice even though she could have anything she wanted from Madam Pomfrey. They talked homework and NEWTs and discussed the possibility of setting up a study group, possibly with one of the professors, in order to properly prepare for the exhausting tests. 

"With a study group like that, " Neville smiled, "I might even be able to beat you, Hermione!"

Several other people visited as well. Dumbledore and Hagrid popped in frequently to check how she was doing. Professor McGonagall was in at least three times daily to make sure she was eating and sleeping properly. For some reason, she was always giving Madam Pomfrey advice on healing potions (which Madam Pomfrey ignored). Even Professor Snape had come in to see her…

_***Flashback***_

_She had been dozing and had felt a presence near her. Forcing her eyes open, she saw Professor Snape sitting in a chair beside her bed. He looked pensive and somewhat sad. Yes, the dark circles under his eyes were very pronounced and, despite the fact that he looked somewhat better physically, one had the impression that his soul was under extreme duress. She felt sorry for him…his role could not be an easy one to bear._

"Madam Pomfrey wasn't too keen on my being here. She thought it might upset you."

"It doesn't. Please stay."

"How are you feeling?"

"I'm getting better, I suppose. However, having said that, I would like to wake up tomorrow and forget that this ever happened."

Professor Snape sighed and Hermione got the impression that, in that sigh, was carried the weight of the world.

"Memory charms do little to take away the pain of a traumatic experience. You only feel the pain and you don't know why it is there. I know this for a fact."

Hermione looked at him closely.

"What happened to you that made you choose the path you are on?" she wondered to herself, "You look at me as if…as if you see a part of yourself that you have lost. That doesn't make any sense…does it?"

"I just wanted you to know that, despite appearances, I am on your side, and that if there is anything you need, please do not hesitate to come to me. Madam Pomfrey's knowledge of healing potions is formidable but mine is better. I know I have never shown it…never really been my station to show favour to anyone outside of Slytherin, but you are the best student I have had in a long time and I admire your intelligence and respect your courage."

"Thank you, Professor. Your vote of confidence means a great deal to me."

She had smiled at him, the first time she could recall doing that. His face broke into a small grin as well and she had marveled at the difference. He looked almost human!! He touched her hair awkwardly, almost paternally, then he got up abruptly.

"I'll expect you in Potions next week and don't think you will get any preferential treatment. I will expect the same Hermione Granger and the same 110% effort you always give." He said in a severe voice but with a definite gleam in his eye.

"I won't disappoint you, Professor Snape," she replied, just as seriously and with a matching gleam.

He nodded and left.

_***Return to Present***_

Hermione sank against the pillows of her bed and massaged her temples slowly. She had all these feelings inside of her but she couldn't talk about them with anyone. It was as if putting them into words somehow diminished them. Harry and Ron had enough to deal with; she didn't want to be a burden on them. She was not ready to talk to her parents about this. She had to talk to someone.

Her questions became more and more unfocussed as her body succumbed to sleep. Her long brown tresses fanned out around her and her face relaxed as her cares drifted away. Everything was still and quiet save for the soft sounds of Hermione's breathing. Without realizing it, she began to dream…

_She was walking along a deserted corridor in Hogwarts and talking to someone. There was a noise and the unmistakable crackle of a wand being put to dark use. Suddenly she was pushed to the ground, hard. Someone was trying to protect her but they were losing and she realized that she had to go with the dark beings if she was going to save this person's life. She felt herself tugged along unmercifully and his screams grew fainter…_

She awoke and sat bolt upright in her bed, covered with a slick sheen of cold sweat. She put her face in her hands and started crying. What was that all about? Wasn't Madam Pomfrey's potion supposed to prevent her from having nightmares? Who was that man with her? She couldn't place the voice at all because it had all sounded so muffled. She reached over to the bedside table for a handkerchief and then…

…someone handed it to her.

Turning in fright, she nearly screeched in horror when she saw Percy sitting in a chair next to her bed. He looked as if he had been scared out of sleep himself.

"I…I am so sorry, Percy. I wasn't expecting…I panicked, " she began spluttering.

"It's okay. Are you all right?" he asked softly.

Hermione looked at him in surprise, "What are you doing here?"

Percy shifted in the chair rather uncomfortably.

"I have been in here each night…don't worry…Dumbledore asked me to keep an eye on you."

Hermione nodded uncertainly. Percy could see that she was still somewhat fearful.

"Can you tell me what happened? I have never been much good at interpreting dreams but keeping that sort of thing inside you isn't healthy. You were moaning something about having to go somewhere and you were practically tearing your sheets apart. I tried to wake you up but couldn't…then, you just screamed and…well…here we are"

Hermione searched Percy's warm hazel-brown eyes and saw that his concern for her was genuine. Being with him made her feel so safe. His hand reached out to touch hers…gently. She looked down at the contact and then looked into his eyes again. That look of love was there again. It was unmistakable. 

"You can tell me anything. I promise I will listen," he said quietly.

And so, with a quiet sigh, she told him about her dream, how it had been recurring night after night since the attack, getting more and more detailed and more and more frightening. She found herself telling him about the attack itself and about how frightened and helpless she had been feeling lately. She found herself telling him everything…well, almost everything.

Percy could see the uncertainty in her eyes as she waited for him to respond. He knew she had to be feeling vulnerable after revealing her feelings like that.

_"I wish I could see your carefree smile once again…that smile that reaches your eyes and lights up your entire face," he thought wistfully._

"Hermione," he began, "you are a lot stronger than you give yourself credit for. You have been through a harrowing experience and you have to realize that this whole thought-process you are going through, these feelings you are experiencing, this is all completely normal."

"Why do I feel I will never be normal again?"

"You will. These things take time. You can't expect to go through what you did and be back to your old self the next morning."

"I'm just afraid of what people will say about me behind my back."

"Don't concern yourself with what others are saying about you."

"That's easy for you to say, Percy. When have you ever given anyone cause to gossip?" she immediately regretted saying those words as she saw a flash of anger cross his eyes. He stood up.

"When I found out about Penelope, I went through a period of the deepest depression possible. I had planned to ask her to marry me…she was my entire life. I felt that everyone was staring at me, pitying me, trying to figure out what fault of mine it was that caused Penny to go off with that…that…well, it took me a long time to realize two things: that concerning myself about what others were saying about me was a waste of time and, more importantly, people are usually too busy with their own lives to concern themselves with what others are doing."

Percy sat down on Hermione's bed and took her now-cold hands in his and looked into her pale face. He regretted his anger almost immediately as he looked at the pained expression in her eyes.

"I'm sorry about that. It is something best left in the past. I just…I just want you to know that I do understand."

Hermione looked down and saw how her hands seemed so tiny clasped within Percy's.

Looking up at Percy, she admitted something she had never told anyone else, "I'm scared…I have always been so concerned about something happening to Harry or Ron that…"

"You forgot that you could be hurt as well?"

Hermione didn't look up.

"I don't want Voldemort to win and I am willing to do anything, make any sacrifice in order to make sure that doesn't happen…but death scares me. There is so much I haven't accomplished yet in my life, so many things I want…I want…" She whispered unsteadily.

Percy placed a hand under her chin and tilted her head up. She was crying again…tears moving precariously down her pale cheeks, lips trembling. He tried to find the words to comfort her, to strengthen her but his mind went blank. There was a look in her eyes, a desperate longing that drew him closer to her, close enough that he could feel her warm breath against his skin. Leaning forward, his lips brushed hers. He paused to look at her again. She did not back away from him. Closing his eyes in submission, he kissed her again, very gently. He felt her hand caress his face and his kiss returned.

Although every cell in his brain was telling him to stop, Percy was lost in a tidal wave of emotions he had sought to suppress for far too long. He realized that his feelings for Hermione went beyond simple friendship. He loved her and, since Percy was never one to do things by halves, he loved her with every ounce of his being. The fact that this knowledge was awakened by nothing more than the most delicate and chaste of kisses astounded him. 

_"If I could only hold you and never have to let you go…that would be enough for me," he thought._

Hermione was lost in the sweetness of the moment. She knew she loved him and she never wanted the moment to end.

_"If only you never had to leave me alone, if I could be with you always…that would be enough for me," she thought._

They separated reluctantly and looked at each other quietly for several long moments.

Percy cleared his throat…

"Hermione…I'm sorry about that…I can't…"

She just looked at him with a wistful expression.

"I know," was all she said…in a voice he could only just hear.

_"If you could only see how much this is hurting me," he thought, "I can't risk failing in my mission. It's not just us…there is so much more at stake. I can't let you get so close to me. You don't know what dangerous times these are. I can't get distracted. Why does this have to be so damn difficult? Why did I have to fall in love with you now?"_

Hermione could see that he was fighting an internal battle, one to which she already knew the outcome.

"Percy," Hermione suddenly spoke, "I think you had better go."

He looked at her. He wanted to wipe that sad expression from her face forever, to hold her and kiss her and never be apart again. That was not possible. So he nodded, got up and, with an apologetic smile, left the infirmary.

He closed the door quietly, closed his eyes, and leaned against it in defeat for long moments. He could hear her quiet crying and it took every ounce of determination to not rush in and…

_"I can't let this happen…this is wrong," he thought to himself, trying to regain some semblance of self-control. He could not deny that kissing her had felt…felt so right._

The sound of approaching footsteps caused him to open his eyes. It was Professor Snape.

"Professor Weasley? What are you doing out here at this hour of the night?" he asked.

"I..I was watching over Miss Granger," Percy answered quickly. Technically speaking, that was not a lie.

Professor Snape looked at the young man and Percy was surprised to see an expression of pity cross the older man's face. He clapped Percy's shoulder in a supportive way.

"I do not mean to barrage you with questions. The Headmaster asked me to find you and I knew you might still be here at the infirmary. Come, we will go together."

Percy wordlessly followed Professor Snape to the entrance of Dumbledore's quarters.

"Sugar quill," Snape said to the gargoyle which immediately allowed them entrance. Snape turned to Percy with a serious expression.

" I know this is particularly difficult for you. I only have one piece of advice and I urge you to heed it well. Some decisions are better left to your heart. Don't make the same mistakes I did."

"I don't want to hurt her," he answered.

"You will only end up hurting both of you if you persist in this present course of action."

"She doesn't know what danger she is in."

"Then perhaps you should tell her."

"She has been through enough!"

"She deserves to know the truth…" something strange flickered across Professor Snape's face when he said this. Percy could not tell what it was.

"Yes, she deserves to know the truth…all of it…Percy, you may go up now. Remember what I told you and please give my regards to the Headmaster. He is aware of where I am going and I will bring news in the morning."

"Good luck."

Professor Snape nodded and went back down the corridor, a shadowy figure in the shadowy night.

Percy found himself at the door to Dumbledore's private chambers and knocked politely.

"What else does she not know?" he wondered as he waited.

__

A/N Chapter Seven should be out by June 24th


	7. Interview With The Headmaster

"Why don't you sit down, Percy **__**

Disclaimer: Nothing you recognize belongs to me but to the goddess JKR. Many thanks to all my reviewers. Hope you enjoy this continuing story and please review constructively. Flames will be used to light sparklers (Canada Day is coming up July 1st).

**Chapter Seven: Interview with the Headmaster**

It was not long before Dumbledore opened the door and, smiling, invited Percy into his office. Percy had been in here several times, as a student, as an employee of the Ministry of Magic and as Dumbledore's agent in his covert operations. It never failed to leave him in awe.

"Why don't you sit down, Percy? Would you like a cup of cocoa?"

"I would prefer a cup of tea, Headmaster."

"Of course." 

Dumbledore waved his wand and a tray appeared on his desk. On the tray were two steaming mugs, napkins and a plate of assorted biscuits. Dumbledore picked up both mugs and handed one to Percy.

"Cream and sugar if I'm not mistaken," he smiled at the younger man as he sat down in his accustomed chair behind the desk.

"Your memory is a good as ever, Headmaster." 

_Percy inhaled the fragrant vapours wafting up from the pleasantly hot mug. He took a sip. The sweet, milky taste made him think back to when he was younger, before he ever started at Hogwarts. Bill and Charlie were already studying at Hogwarts and, truth be told, Percy did not miss them that much. Fred and George were usually in the basement causing mischief while Ron and Ginny were napping in their rooms. Late afternoons were a quiet time, so to speak, when Percy and his mother could sit outside in the shade of the huge oak trees and have a cup of tea together. This was his favourite time of the day. He almost felt as if he could relax and just watch the wind blowing the clouds by. Once he started going to Hogwarts, he thought such things were childish and immediately gave up the little ritual. He had told himself that he didn't miss it but now, sitting in Dumbledore's office and sipping the tea, he wished he hadn't been so stubborn about that._

"I suppose," Dumbledore interrupted Percy's train of thought, "you are wondering why I brought you down here at this hour?" He picked up the plate of biscuits, "Care for a biscuit, Percy?"

Feeling it would be rude to refuse, Percy took one, thanking him. He wasn't hungry. In fact, he was feeling somewhat nauseous. His thoughts returned to Hermione. Was she still crying? Why had he just left her like that? Why did he always shut his feelings away?

_"I should just tell her how I really feel. But I can't believe she loves me. She is grateful because I managed to save her and she is guilty because of what happened shortly thereafter. If I tell her I love her…would that only scare her away? Would she be another Penny? Should I take the chance or should I play it safe? My head is saying one thing but my heart is saying something diametrically different. And yet, when she kissed me in the infirmary, I thought I felt…something in her. Something that I feel in myself." he thought to himself. _

Then he looked up and realized that Dumbledore was waiting for an answer to his question. Percy coloured slightly.

"I assume it has to do with my real purpose in coming to Hogwarts. I apologize, Headmaster, for not paying closer attention."

Dumbledore took a biscuit as well and set the plate down.

"You seem preoccupied, Percy. Is anything wrong?"

_Percy thought to himself, "Other than the fact that I have fallen in love with the person I am supposed to be protecting and treating her terribly and acting like a complete imbecile…oh no, everything is fine."_

"No, Headmaster. I am just a little tired, that is all."

Dumbledore gazed at him for a few moments. Percy felt that the older man did not really believe him but was too polite to pursue it further.

"How is Hermione?" he asked suddenly.

That question caught Percy completely off guard and he almost choked as he had been in the process of taking a half-hearted bite out of the biscuit.

"She…she seems to be recovering well."

"This has been a terrible experience for her. I have gone to see her myself several times and I am heartened by her tenacity and her stubborn determination to get through this. There are many who would have been seriously and permanently affected by a traumatic even such as this."

"I agree. She is a stronger person than I think even she gives herself credit for."

"This is part of the reason, perhaps, that Voldemort has targeted her this time."

"I don't think I understand, Headmaster."

Dumbledore put down his cup and stood up, walking over to a row of books and glancing at the dusty titles casually. Percy observed that he looked…well, older suddenly. All these years of trying to prevent an entity such as Voldemort from wreaking chaos on both the wizarding and muggle worlds had to have taken a toll on his strength. And now, with this happening to Hermione, a student who Percy knew to be well liked by all the professors…it had to be very difficult to accept.

_"I have seen the other professors' reactions. Minerva is practically beside herself with worry and Hagrid is either bleary eyed with tears or he is muttering angrily about how he just wants to pound the daylights out of that…well, Hagrid has always used very colourful language, not that I blame him. Phyllida is looking mouldier than ever which is not a good sign. Sybil is being her usual annoying self although I have noticed that she smiles when she sees Hermione…as if she knows something the rest of us don't…that old bat! Even Severus seems to be taking this hard. The spying must be making him more vulnerable. I wish I knew what he had been talking about…are my feelings that noticeable? I hope that none of the others suspect anything. I think Dumbledore knows something but he won't ask, he is far too diplomatic to pry into another professor's personal affairs."_

Dumbledore turned around and faced the younger man.

"There is much about this whole matter which baffles me, Percy, " he sighed, "Up until now, Voldemort has always gone after Harry in some form or another. Every year it is the same thing. This year, without warning, we hear word that Hermione is the intended target. Why this is so is unclear. You are brought on the assignment, under the guise of teaching at Hogwarts, and are on the Hogwarts Express at the last minute thanks to some information that Severus was able to provide. There is an attack, which you are able to stop. The attackers are shape-shifters who are sent to Azkabhan where they commit suicide rather than talk. What puzzles me is that I see no reason, as yet, why Hermione is their intended target and, if the shape-shifters wanted to get close to her, why they would choose the forms of students she does not associate with?"

"Perhaps they were not expecting to get caught?"

"I thought of that but then that would leave the real Draco appearing guilty of a heinous crime. We would have no way of proving that he was innocent. Even the muggle scientific methods wouldn't work in a case like this, which is why shape-shifters are so potentially dangerous. Thankfully they are extremely rare…I can only think of two or three in the world…and they must register with the High Council of any city they live or work in."

"Lucius is very capable of sacrificing his son in order to win favour with the Dark Lord."

"Agreed. Lucius is capable of anything. Nothing means more to him than power and control over others, not even his own son. Such a pity…such a promising young student."

Dumbledore paused and Percy glanced around the room. There were so many things to look at, even for someone who was quite accustomed to being here. There was the Pensieve, giving off its ethereal silvery glow. There was the Sword of Godric Gryffindor that Harry had recovered during his second (Percy's sixth) year. And there was the Sorting Hat. Percy frowned slightly in spite of himself. A conversation came to mind…a conversation from about a decade prior…

_***FLASHBACK***_

Percy was painfully aware of Bill and Charlie watching him as he walked up to the stool. They had told him this would be painful and that he would probably end up in Slytherin anyway. He was almost in a panic. He had to get into Gryffindor…there was no alternative…he just had to be sorted into Gryffindor.

Walking stiffly and with a stern look to cover his growing sense of fear and nausea, he climbed the steps and approached Professor McGonagall who smiled at him kindly.

"Another Weasley," she had whispered as she put the Sorting Hat on him, "This shouldn't take long."

Percy had closed his eyes shut and concentrated on the only thing that mattered…getting into Gryffindor. He would fight a…a Hippogriff if necessary…

"That won't be necessary, young Percy Weasley," a voice chuckled softly, "They eliminated feats of strength as a pre-requisite centuries ago."

Percy was astounded. The Sorting Hat could read his mind.

"Can you hear everything I think?"

"Of course I can."

"Then you know where I have to go?"

"Patience, young Weasley, patience. You have great intelligence, a superior talent…I see leadership potential as well. You are determined, loyal and unafraid of hard work. The only house I cannot sort you into is Slytherin because of your unshakable sense of fair play. Salazar would never have approved of you."

"I only want to get into Gryffindor."

"Why? Because your brothers are there? Because your mother and your father were there? No, these are not the reasons why you want Gryffindor so badly. It is your pride that will be hit the hardest should you go somewhere else because of your perception that the other houses are not as good. It is a flawed perception, young Weasley."

"But…"

"I am not here to lecture you. I am here to sort you. But remember, there may come a time in your life when you will have to decide what is more important, your pride for your reputation or…"

"Or what?"

"That you will have to discover for yourself. If you really want to know, I suppose you could always take Divination. For the time being, enjoy life at Hogwarts in the house of GRYFFINDOR!"

The last word had been shouted so loudly that Percy nearly fell off the stool. He quickly took the hat off, thanked Professor McGonagall and practically ran to the Gryffindor table where he was immediately flanked by his two older brothers.

"Knew you'd get in, Percy," Bill had said.

"Have to maintain the family tradition," Charlie smiled.

Percy hid his confused thoughts and turned to his brothers with a serious look.

"Was there ever any doubt??"

_***END OF FLASHBACK***_

Percy wondered if the Sorting Hat was aware that he was there now. For a moment, he wished he could put it on again just to hear what it would have to say.

"Tell me, Percy, has Hermione talked to you about her experience?" Dumbledore suddenly asked.

Percy blushed, "Yes, she has."

"Is there anything in what she says that could provide some clue as to why she is suddenly so important?"

"She has been having nightmares."

Dumbledore nodded slightly, "Which could simply be the result of her experience or something more. Has she described these nightmares?"

"Yes, she has. It is always the same and the potion Madame Pomfrey gives her doesn't seem to be able to prevent them.'

"Now that is interesting. Either her emotions are very strong or the dream is no ordinary dream. Please continue."

"She has told me that the dream involves her walking with someone, a male, down the corridors of Hogwarts. She is not exactly sure where she is because it is rather blurry. She also does not know the identity of the male. All she remembers is a blue robe and a muffled voice and some music…a melody she cannot place. Then she feels approaching evil and someone or something grabs her. There is a struggle and her unknown companion tries to rescue her but is captured. She is faced with two choices…allowing herself to be captured or being forced to witness the death of her companion. She feels herself being taken somewhere and the shouts of her companion grow fainter. That is when she wakes up…screaming."

Dumbledore pondered this new information. Percy could see that this troubled him not a little.

"What should I do?" Percy asked.

The Headmaster of Hogwarts took his time answering the question. It appeared that he was weighing several options. Finally, he looked at Percy.

"You must continue to watch over her."

Percy nodded. Then, a question that he had been anxious to ask…

"Professor Snape said I should tell her the nature of the danger she is facing."

Dumbledore smiled.

"Yes, I would imagine that he did," he said somewhat enigmatically.

"What do you mean?" Percy asked in a rather puzzled tone.

Dumbledore sighed, "Percy, Professor Snape has been through more than you can possibly imagine and his perspective on life and on this situation are, as a consequence, vastly different from your own. You feel that Hermione should deal with one thing at a time, that she should have a chance to recover from past events before dealing with this new threat. Professor Snape believes that forewarned is forearmed. Both of your viewpoints are valid and I agree that Hermione must be apprized of what is happening…but not yet. She requires time to heal and we can afford that. Voldemort will not try to reach her here within Hogwarts. She is safe here."

"I will do everything I can to protect her."

The older man smiled.

"I know that, Percy. For the time being, we will continue as we have in the past. I will be meeting with Professor Snape in the morning and I will wish to speak to you afterwards."

"I have a spare period just before lunch."

"That will be fine."

Percy finished his tea and got up to leave. Somehow, he felt he had to say something to Dumbledore…

"She is my brother's best friend…and she is my friend as well. I will not let anyone harm her."

Dumbledore nodded and Percy left the room.

"Alas, Percy, your love for her and her love for you will be critical factors in your success, if only you realize it in time," he sighed as he charmed away the dirty cups and sat down by his Pensieve.

"Love is not the liability you seem to think it is…even Severus has come to realize that."

__

A/N Chapter Eight will be out by July 1st…consider it my Canada Day gift!! Have a great week! 


	8. Return to a Quasi-Normal Life

Chapter Eight: A Not-So-Triumphant Return ****

Disclaimer: Anything you recognize belongs to the goddess, JKR. I want to thank my reviewers who are simply wonderful. Your continued support of this story is greatly appreciated ::bows humbly to reviewers::. As always, constructive reviews are heartily encouraged. Flames will be used to light sparklers (Happy Canada Day everyone ::waves sparklers merrily and lights several fireworks in honour of Canada's 134th birthday::).

****

Chapter Eight: Return To A Quasi-Normal Life

Hermione finally got the all-clear to leave the infirmary and joined Harry and Ron for breakfast in the dining hall Monday morning. She felt reasonably well…she was ahead in all her homework, her essays were complete and her studying for the upcoming NEWTs was going better than expected. 

"It's really good having you back with us, Hermione," Harry said sincerely, shoveling waffles smothered in whipped cream, syrup and berries into his mouth at an alarming rate.

"Yeah, no one telling us how much to study, which additional books to read, how to get extra credits, how much to study each night for NEWTs…what part of that did we miss, Harry?" Ron's smile was a mile wide. Despite his grumblings, he had missed his other best friend terribly. 

Hermione, with a sultry look, leaned close to Ron…very close; she batted her eyelashes becomingly at him…

"I'll just have to make up for lost time, won't I?" she murmured.

Ron stopped chewing and just sat there, gaping.

Hermione giggled.

"Honestly, Ron, if you had money, you couldn't even buy a clue," she said merrily.

Ron blushed somewhat in confusion, not completely understanding the reference, but recovered his good humour. It was good having Hermione around. Harry was a great friend but they agreed on just about everything. There was something to be said about a healthy difference of opinion now and again. It added a definite tang to life at Hogwarts.

Still smiling, Hermione glanced around the dining hall. It was good to get out of the infirmary and into some fresher air. She looked at the high table where all the professors sat. They were all talking among themselves. Professor Snape and Percy were in a quiet discussion…it looked as if they were discussing some kind of potion from the stirring motion he was demonstrating. Hermione could see Percy nodding in agreement every now and then. Strangely, they both turned to look at her at the same time. Professor Snape's expression was difficult to read…he almost looked as if he was still worried about her. Percy's eyes clearly showed his pain although the rest of his face betrayed nothing. They had to be discussing her situation…

She looked away in a sudden fit of sadness. 

_"Why did it have to be him?" she wondered, "I mean, what could he possibly see in me? I'm his brother's best friend. I don't know anything about the wizarding world outside of Hogwarts. He has seen and done so much…why am I torturing myself like this?"_

She sighed quietly, "Because I do love him, despite everything. There is something in that look of his which calls to me, deep inside…I can't be imagining it, can I?"

"You okay, Hermione?" Ginny asked, her forehead creased in concern.

"I'm fine," Hermione lied, feeling horribly guilty and embarrassed.

"You haven't eaten much. Why don't you have a glass of pumpkin juice? It will at least give you something to go on," Ginny held a goblet out for her and Hermione accepted gratefully.

_"I'll need something stronger than this to make it through today," she thought bitterly._

"You'll make someone a great wife, Ginny," Hermione smiled as the younger girl blushed furiously. Hermione also noticed that Harry was glancing at Ginny in a way that was vaguely familiar…

_"You will make Harry a great wife if the twit gets his act together," she thought to herself._

They finished breakfast and headed to their first class, History of Magic, with the Hufflepuffs (Ginny went off to Herbology). Hermione felt as if her shoes had suddenly filled themselves with lead. Just what she wanted, to see Percy first thing in the morning. She hoped that the class would be uneventful. For the first time in her Hogwarts life, she just wanted to blend and not draw any attention to herself.

_"I just hope Ron and Harry don't act up," she thought to herself as she walked through the door to the classroom._

Harry and Ron motioned Hermione over to their table near the front of the class. Well, it could have been worse, she could have been front-row-centre.

Percy was just finishing writing notes on the board. Nothing seemed amiss. He looked over his notes and turned around to face his class. Hermione resolved to act as normally as possible and looked at him as if they had never shared that magical kiss. No, she was just another student and he was just another professor.

For his part, Percy retreated into the pompous facade that was so familiar to him. He thought Hermione looked a little frail, thinner and somewhat fatigued but he sensed great inner strength and smiled, despite himself. He ran through attendance and was proud of the fact that he did not linger on her name any longer than the others.

The lesson was a modestly interesting one…they were discussing witch-hunts of the past and how futile they had been. Percy brought the discussion around to the Salem witch-hunts and everyone started talking excitedly…

"They burned everyone that didn't fit in! Anyone who was just a little different was branded a witch or warlock."

"There was this muggle story about some of the harvests having some kind of mould that made people delusional and this is what caused them to do strange things, not witchcraft."

"The stories muggles come up with are just hilarious."

"Well, burning innocent people at the stake wasn't hilarious. So many lives wasted just because they did not conform to some pre-determined standard of conduct."

"As if fire could ever kill a witch or a wizard."

"The muggles were scared of everything, especially things they didn't understand."

"Like magic."

"I heard about other witching tests like dunking."

"That was pretty bad but there was also a test called the pressing where the accused was placed under a lot of rocks…an easy levitation spell would do the trick there."

"What about the morsel, where you had to swallow a big lump of food without chewing…you really can't charm your way out of that one. It was pretty nasty stuff if you ask me."

"They said the witches…well, they…umm…lay with the devil."

"Yeah, well, those same witches always seemed to recant their stories and said they were forced."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean taken against their will…you know, forced to…well, do it."

"How can you force a witch? She'd have to be pretty stupid to let that happen to her."

"Shut up!" Harry and Ron said simultaneously to the pair of Hufflepuffs that had taken the conversation to this new topic.

**__**

!! THUD !!

Ron and Harry heard Hermione's book fall to the ground and turned to her. She was pale and she looked as if she was ready to faint. They each edged closer to her and put an arm around her. Percy quickly walked over to her as well. 

"Miss Granger, are you all right?" although his voice betrayed nothing, Hermione's eyes saw a familiar warmth in his eyes. It comforted her.

_"I am not imagining it…it is there, deny it though he might, it is there," she thought._

"I…I am all right. Really."

Turning to the two Hufflepuff boys that had made the comments, he spoke quietly but with an edge that cut to the quick.

"I would suggest that, in the future, you learn to think before you speak. You will both meet with Mr. Filch tonight for offending all your female classmates in such an ignorant manner. Twenty points from Hufflepuff."

The two boys flinched at the anger that flashed in the professor's eyes. They mumbled an apology, even though they weren't completely sure why he was so upset. Percy turned to Hermione, who had recovered somewhat. Harry and Ron still held her steady and she motioned to them that she was all right with a grateful smile.

"Are you sure you are all right, Miss Granger?" he asked in a voice that was pure professionalism.

"Yes, Professor Weasley," she answered.

His eyes searched hers for a moment longer and then he turned back to the topic at hand.

The rest of the class went by quickly. Harry was right, Percy was a very good professor. He certainly knew his historical facts and could make parallels and links between different time periods in ways that were…well, interesting. No one fell asleep. No one even dozed. The class went by fast…too fast and, more quickly than she could have realized, they were on their way to the next class. She managed to catch one glimpse of Percy before leaving. He looked as if he still wanted to wring those boys' necks. 

"Are you sure you're all right, Hermione?" Ron asked, putting an arm around her shoulder and looking at her in concern.

"Anyone we can curse for you?" Harry smiled as he took her bookbag.

"You two really are incorrigible," she laughed, despite herself.

"True, but you love us for it," Ron answered cheerfully.

As they headed to Care of Magical Creatures, Hermione reflected that she was lucky to have friends like Harry and Ron. They made a great team and she felt she could relax around them. She just wished she could open up to them about her fears. Her overwhelming desire to keep them safe prevented her from doing that. Harry had to keep his wits about him if he was going to defeat Voldemort and having him worrying about her might make him careless. It was the same thing with Ron. No, even with friends as wonderful as the two of them, some things had to stay private. Besides, she could not bear the thought of telling them what she had told Percy. She trusted him in a way that, perhaps, she did not trust anyone else.

_"That's absurd…I could trust Harry and Ron with anything…but, this isn't just anything. Somehow, Percy understands me in a way they don't."_

Care of Magical Creatures was a lot of fun. The baby Chimaera had been approved by Dumbledore to provide security to Hogwarts once it was full-grown. Although originally classified as extremely dangerous by the Ministry of Magic (it had earned the same XXXXX rating as the Basilisk and the Acromantula), centuries of admittedly illegal breeding had rendered it somewhat domesticated and was now a valued guardian being. It was rumoured that they would shortly be replacing Dementors as the guardians of Azkabhan.

In typical Hagrid fashion, the class had been fun and not particularly taxing. Homework was trying to come up with a name for the newest Hogwarts resident. They had decided on Puzzle, seeing as he was made up of several different animals. The rest of the day went by quickly and Hermione was glad to see that she did not have any further panic attacks. Although she tried not to consciously think about it, it was always at the back of her mind.

Dinner was wonderful and Hermione was able to relax for the first time that day. She did not eat a great deal (much to Ron and Harry's chagrin) but she soaked up the atmosphere and the conversation. Here was a place where you felt safe, even if the Slytherin table was just over there. Sitting in the great dining hall, surrounded by students and professors, you had the feeling that nothing could hurt you. It was a nice feeling.

"Hey, Hermione, were you serious about that study group?" Neville asked shyly.

Hermione smiled at Ron's glance to the heavens.

"The sooner the better. We just need to get a Professor to oversee the group," she replied.

"Thatsh eashy," Harry said through a mouthful of mashed potatoes, "Ashk Peshy."

Ron looked at him with a bemused expression.

"Sorry, Harry, but I don't speak potato-ish. Could you repeat that after you've swallowed?"

Dean and Seamus chuckled into their cornish hens while Ginny marked the score "1" on an imaginary scorecard in the air.

With a grin and a very loud swallow (more laughter), Harry said again, "Ask Percy. If anyone knows anything about NEWTs, it's him. Didn't he set some kind of record, Ron?"

Ron frowned slightly, "Yeah, Mom and Dad talked about it for weeks. Stupid git."

Ginny turned to her brother, "He can't be that stupid if he got all those NEWTs, now can he?"

Ron snorted something that sounded an awful lot like "pompous know-it-all".

"Hermione," Harry said suddenly, "Go ask Percy if he will be a part of our study group. There will be me, Ron, Neville, Dean and Seamus."

"Me too!" Ginny exclaimed.

"Ginny, you won't be writing until the next school year," Harry explained.

Ginny blushed, "I know, I just want to get an early start."

Harry looked at her beautifully flushed face as she looked at all of them with a silent pleading in her eyes. He could not say no to that.

"All right, you can be a part of it too, Ginny," he said finally. Ginny's face lit up and she thanked him profusely, which made him blush slightly.

"Okay, Hermione, you are our chairperson. Go up to him and ask him," Neville said.

"Now?" she asked, suddenly nervous.

"Why not? The best time to ask Percy anything is when he's eating. That way you can actually talk to him without too many interruptions," Ron smiled sarcastically.

Hermione gave Ron a quick elbow in the ribs.

"Okay, here I go," she announced to the table.

"You'd think she was going into battle," Harry whispered to Ron. Ron simply watched her with a strange expression on his face.

_"Something is up," he thought to himself, "She has been acting a little strange since…well, for a while. And Percy, he hasn't been as annoying as usual lately. Could there be something…no, I'm just imagining things."_

Ron's thoughts quieted considerably as he turned his attention once again to the mashed potatoes on his plate.

Hermione quietly walked up to the professors' table and over to where Percy was still engrossed in conversation with Professor Snape. They did not notice her approaching until she stood directly in front of them.

"Excuse me," she said quietly as a means of letting them know she was there.

The two men looked at her in some surprise. Snape's expression was almost unreadable…in fact, if she did not know better, he seemed to be gazing at her somewhat wistfully.

_"You always give me the impression that you have lost something…why do I always feel that lately when you look at me? I do not remember feeling anything before except, perhaps, indifference and dislike," she thought._

Percy's eyes burned into hers. He might be able to control his expression, his voice and his mannerisms but it was in his eyes where Hermione could see what he was trying desperately not to show. 

_"We are both cowards," she thought somewhat dejectedly._

"Yes, Miss Granger?" Percy asked casually.

"Some of the other students and I are interested in setting up a study group for the upcoming NEWTs and we were hoping that you would assist us," she said calmly.

"That is a very good idea, Miss Granger," Professor Snape nodded. He turned to the younger professor, "Professor Weasley, your workload is not too onerous that it could not accommodate such a worthwhile request?"

Hermione had the distinct impression that they were not simply talking about the study group.

Percy nodded gravely.

"Yes, I would be glad to help you with the study group…all of you," he added, almost as an afterthought.

"Thank you, Professor Weasley, and you too, Professor Snape," she smiled at both of them and walked back to her table.

Professor Snape watched her sit down with her friends and quietly tell the others about her success. As they chattered excitedly, a pensive expression appeared on her face and she focussed on a forkful of mashed potatoes that she had just picked up from her plate…her mind was obviously elsewhere. He smiled somewhat and turned to Percy. Percy was chewing a chocolate biscuit absently as he watched Hermione. 

_"You remind me of me when I was your age," he thought with a rueful smile, "I just pray that you have more sense and make better decisions than I did."_

__

A/N: Chapter Nine should be up by July 8th. Happy Independence Day to all my American counterparts.


	9. In Which Much Happens

Disclaimer: Anything you recognize does not belong to me but to the goddess, JKR **__**

Disclaimer: Anything you recognize does not belong to me but to the goddess, JKR. A thousand thanks to my reviewers who continue to make this so very worthwhile for me ::blushes profusely::!! If you like the story, please let me know…I love receiving constructive reviews. Flames will be used to light scented candles, preferably candles scented like gardenias…they are one of my favourite flowers.

**Chapter Nine: In Which Much Happens**

Over the next several weeks, Hermione tried very hard to keep up the appearances of a normal life. She spent time with her friends, studied and generally tried to enjoy life at Hogwarts. She did not go to any of the Hogsmeade weekends because she felt she was not ready to leave the security of the school just yet. Either Harry or Ron would stay with her so that she was not alone and she was grateful for that. She was getting stronger everyday and that encouraged her.

_"I am not staying behind because I am trying to see Percy," she told herself angrily._

Classes were going very well. The only classes she found slightly difficult were Potions and History of Magic. Potions was not difficult but Professor Snape's changed attitude took a little getting used to. It was not as if this had not been beneficial for several students, after all, Neville was quickly losing that panicked look whenever he entered the class. It was not the sheer torture for the poor fellow that it had always been.

For her, the difficulty lay with the fact that Professor Snape's attitude towards her had changed and it was different from the others. She could not put her finger on exactly what had changed but it was certainly positive. There had always been an unspoken challenge between them, each daring the other to find a weakness, each trying to assert their own superiority. Hermione was a proud student and Professor Snape was an exacting teacher. It was a classic recipe for a power struggle. Now, that was gone and it left her wondering why.

For obvious reasons, History of Magic was the most difficult class for her to sit through. She forced herself to act as normally as possible. She forced herself to contribute to class discussion as much as she normally did. She forced herself to not stare at him. All of this extra effort was taking its toll on her and she was not sleeping well. Even Harry and Ron were starting to notice and were voicing their concerns about her. 

_"I have to talk to Percy," she thought to herself, "I cannot keep this up for much longer."_

But, it seemed that the fates were conspiring against her because Percy always appeared to be busy. If he was not teaching, he was meeting with Dumbledore. If he was not meeting with Dumbledore, he was off somewhere. If he was not off somewhere, he was meeting with Professor Snape or Sirius Black or Remus Lupin or…the list went on and on.

_"He's avoiding me," she thought with sudden clarity. That seemed to be the only explanation that made sense._

On a brighter note, the study group was turning out to be a great success. Hermione had to admit that there was really something about getting a group together like this. There wasn't the pressure of being in class and there was a shared sense of purpose among all the members. The synergy was incredible and everyone was making great progress. It was also the only other time she saw Percy. He was looking rather tired but he was always willing to help the students with any questions they might have.

"Percy isn't so bad, after all," Ron conceded as, with a lot of help from his older brother, he was finally able to deflect a variety of particularly nasty disfigurement hexes.

"You mean you didn't call him a know-it-all git? There is hope for you yet, Ron," Harry laughed and clapped him on the shoulder.

Neville was gaining confidence and it was truly amazing how much better he was doing in his classes. Potions was no longer torture for him and, although it would realistically never be his best subject, he figured that Snape would trust him with the better quality cauldrons soon enough.

Dean and Seamus just wanted to pick up pointers overall. There wasn't any particular subject they were worried about. Both of them had more difficulty with handling the stress involved in completing an exam of these proportions and Percy had several tips that would help.

_"Ironic how I can show these students how to handle the stress of writing an exam while I can't even handle the stress of being near her. I can't go on like this much longer. Something is going to have to give," he thought to himself. _

Hermione never really needed help with anything. She completed all of the extra assignments that he handed out…never any need for revision. He almost felt as if there was some sort of competition going on between them. She worked diligently, answering questions from the others as needed, and generally trying to appear as her normal self, all the while acutely aware of everything Percy did or said.

Tonight had been a particularly difficult night. They had started on secondary Transfigurations, where one transfigured an object that had already been changed once before. It had turned out to be more difficult than it sounded. In fact, it was past midnight before they all got it right. Wearily, the students left one by one, leaving Percy sitting alone at the table, rubbing his temples. 

_"I feel exhausted," he thought to himself as he closed his eyes, "These past several weeks have been torture. I cannot keep up these appearances any longer. I am going to have to tell her how I feel about her and to hell with the consequences. I cannot live like this…I just cannot live like this."_

The sound of a door opening and closing forced him to open his eyes. Shocked, he realized that Hermione was standing in front of him. 

"I told them I forgot something and that they shouldn't wait for me," she said to the unspoken question burning in his eyes.

She looked so beautiful. All he had to do was reach out and…

"Why are you avoiding me, Percy?" she suddenly asked.

He saw the hurt expression in her eyes and blushed somewhat in shame. 

_"You're right, I have been avoiding you like the idiot that I am," he remonstrated himself angrily._

Standing up quickly, he walked over to her, stopping right in front of her. He had to fight down the urge to hold her in his arms. 

"I am not avoiding you, Hermione. I have been very busy…I…" he started somewhat nervously.

Her anger flared immediately…

"Do not treat me like a child, Percy!! I am not a child and I know when I am being lied to!!"

Percy didn't know what to say. She looked as if she was either ready to curse him again or burst into tears. He wasn't sure which one would be worse. She looked down to her feet and he noticed that her hands were clenched into tight fists.

"Tell me I am wrong," she suddenly whispered.

"Hermione?"

"Tell me I am wrong. That what I think I see is not really there."

"What do you mean?"

Hermione raised her face and looked at him. Percy was taken aback at what was being conveyed through her sparkling yet sad eyes. His heart began to pump madly as his hopes suddenly grew.

She was trembling slightly, as if the effort of what she was about to say was almost more than she could bear but, when she spoke, her voice was calm.

"Tell me that you do not love me. Tell me that and I will not wake up each morning hoping that somehow you will notice me. Tell me that and I will not go to bed each night hoping that I will dream about you. Tell me you do not love me…the way I have fallen in love with you."

Percy was so stunned by this confession, simple and heartfelt, that he could not react immediately. He felt as if the last shackle around his heart had broken off and he was finally free of his painful past. Free to love her as she loved him.

_"You love me," he thought deliriously. "I hoped but never thought I would ever hear you say that you felt for me what I feel for you. I thought I was only fooling myself."_

Hermione waited quietly for an answer. Her eyes began to shimmer and she felt a pain in her chest.

_"You are not saying anything. Why can you not answer me? Please say something…say anything. Maybe…maybe you don't…oh no, what have I done?" she suddenly thought in despair, tears welling up in her eyes.._

She started to back away from him…

"I am so sorry, Percy," she started in a broken voice, "I should not have…" 

Her words were effectively cut off as Percy suddenly dashed forward and, in one swift motion, pulled her into his arms and kissed her lips, flooding her entire being with a warmth only dreamed of. She instinctively placed her arms around his neck and held him close. Words were no longer necessary as they stood there in a paradise of their own making, blissfully oblivious to their surroundings and bathed in gentle moonlight.

Percy felt as if he was drowning in her. All this time spent in denial. All this time spent keeping his feelings hidden. All this time spent…without her in his arms. What a waste. He thrilled at how she responded to him, so artless, so genuine. Her arms around him. Her lips on his. The fragrant smell of gardenias in her hair; even the taste of the chocolate covered cherries she had eaten earlier was intoxicating. Electric shocks coursed through his body as she ran her fingers through his hair. He could not get enough of her, this woman of his dreams who had been hiding in plain view all this time.

Hermione lazily ran her fingers through his fiery silken tresses, delighting at how they gently caressed her skin. His kisses were like flames that were igniting something deep inside of her…something she did not even know existed. Fears vanished. Doubts vanished. Insecurities vanished. She was lost in emotions and feelings that she had only ever read about but had never actually experienced. Being in his arms was the only place she wanted to be.

They stopped kissing several moments later and simply stood in each other's arms, holding onto each other as if that was the only thing that mattered. Hermione's face rested on Percy's chest and she listened to the living music of his heartbeat…a heartbeat that was as fast as the one which pounded in her chest. 

"I cannot do the thing you ask, Hermione," Percy finally broke the comfortable silence, "I cannot say to you that I do not love you because I do, more than I will ever be able to tell you."

Hermione smiled. She pulled back slightly and looked at him. His eyes were warm and spoke volumes as to what he was thinking and feeling. She was certain that it was mirrored in her eyes as well.

"I love you too, Percy."

He caressed her cheek softly.

"You are so beautiful."

She blushed becomingly as Percy leaned down to kiss her again.

The sound of the clock striking 1:00 am broke the spell. They looked at the clock and then looked at each other. It was very late.

"I could walk you back to the common room," he offered.

Hermione shook her head regretfully.

"Ron and Harry might still be up...you know how they get when they start playing Wizard Chess."

Percy nodded. He had forgotten all about them.

"I suppose we will have to tell them at some point," he tapped her nose playfully.

"Not yet. I want to keep you all to myself," she teased gently, looking up at him with eyes full of love.

Percy smiled.

"I think I would like that."

He leaned down and their lips met again. 

They released each other reluctantly. Hermione walked to the door and opened it.

"I will see you tomorrow in class?"

She smiled as she turned to face him.

"I wouldn't miss it for the world."

Percy grinned rather sheepishly.

"Good night, Hermione."

"Good night, Percy."

Closing the door behind her, Hermione could not stop smiling.

"He loves me." She repeated to herself again and again and again as she aimlessly drifted through the corridors. After about fifteen minutes of this she suddenly realized that she had ended up near the Slytherin dungeons where they were probably plotting the end of the world, as she knew it.

"How on earth did I get here?" she wondered, "And what is the quickest way back?"

As she walked, she heard approaching footsteps and ducked into an unused classroom. It had been a reflex…six previous school terms with Harry and Ron and their constant misadventures had conditioned her to react to certain situations in certain ways; one of which was when footsteps were heard, get out of sight…fast.

She heard another set of footsteps. Something told her to stay where she was.

"Headmaster, I have just returned. There was an urgent meeting called and I had no time to inform you personally. I trust Minerva gave you my note."

"Yes, she did but there is no need for apologies. I understand completely. What have you learned?"

"You were right about their target. They have not changed their goal. I still do not have a clear understanding of this change of tactic…none of the other Death Eaters are questioning it. It seems that the Dark Lord and, perhaps, Peter Pettigrew, know what the true purpose of this newest scheme is. For the moment, they are biding their time."

There was a sigh.

"I had hoped that I was mistaken, that this lull meant that they had changed tack…I realize that this is particularly difficult for you."

"They do not know…"

"No one knows."

"I wish…I wish I could tell…"

"The time will come for that but not now…not yet. We must wait until this particular danger has been dealt with."

"Of course, Headmaster. What should I do?"

"What do they expect you to do?"

"To keep them informed of their target's whereabouts."

"I will work out what information to pass along to them. You will need to send an owl to Sirius and make sure that he is aware of all the newest developments. I am sure that Harry has kept him up to date on what has been happening but you and I are the ones who know the whole story. Perhaps it is time that Sirius and the others understand exactly we are dealing with. I suggest that we have a meeting with all the professors tomorrow night after dinner."

"Does that include Percy Weasley?"

"No, I will meet with him separately."

"Headmaster, please…if there is anything…"

"I will do all I can to help…as I know you will too."

"Thank you."

"Now, you had better check on your students and make sure that they are all accounted for. How is Draco lately? He has not looked well."

"I have not been able to get any real information out of him. He seems stunned by the events which transpired and how close he came to being blamed for it. Perhaps he is shocked at the implications and is rethinking his own position. I really do not know. I have noticed that he has been keeping a close eye on Miss Granger and that he has not said anything untoward about her situation, which is completely unlike him and yet very encouraging."

"Perhaps he has finally developed a conscience."

"He is a formidable student with a great deal of potential. I do not wish to see that wasted as it was with his father."

"Agreed. Keep trying to talk to him. He is probably holding a lot of anger and sadness inside him and I do not wish that to consume him."

"I will try. Good night, Headmaster."

"Good night."

The sound of footsteps finally fading away finally drew Hermione back out into the hallway. She stood there for several moments trying to collect her puzzled thoughts.

_"What was that all about?" she thought to herself. It sounded like Voldemort was after Harry again. As for the two voices, one was certainly Dumbledore and the other was definitely Professor Snape. What were they discussing? There seemed to be a lot of secrets and what was all that talk about Draco? It sounded as if he might be on their side after all. But that wasn't possible, was it?_

"I am going to have to talk to Harry and Ron about all this. This is something that the three of us have to work together on. Sirius might have some information that could help…or perhaps Remus," she thought quietly.

She heard a clock in a nearby classroom strike 1:30am. She had to hurry to get to her dorm if she wanted to have a shower before bed. The quickest way would be to cut through the dungeons. Shivering slightly, she hurried along and did not stop to glance at the portraits of several heads of the Slytherin house who seemed to hiss at her as she passed quietly.

She blinked in surprise. There was a light in one of the classrooms. 

"Who would be there at this hour?" Hermione wondered and tiptoed over to the open door. She snuck a glance inside. Professor Snape was sitting at his desk at the head of the class and appeared to be marking assignments. He looked very unhappy. One hand cradled his forehead as he checked off answers with a dark quill. Every so often he would stop, massage his temples and start again. Hermione felt that she could not just pass him by…she had never seen anyone look so despondent…it was so unlike him that it worried her.

_"He is probably going to bite my head off but I wasn't put into Gryffindor for nothing," she sighed to herself._

She tapped hesitantly at the door. Snape looked up wearily and, when he saw who it was, immediately stopped marking and stood up. For a second, Hermione thought he was going to take points off for disturbing his marking but then realized that he was motioning her to sit down at one of the desks. She sat at the centre desk in the front row.

"What did you want, Miss Granger?" he asked.

"I was on my way back to the Gryffindor common room. It is getting late." 

Snape regarded her for a moment.

"So why are you not there?"

_Hermione paused before answering. She suddenly felt awkward. What had she been thinking coming in here and interrupting him like this?_

"I…I saw the light from the classroom and was curious why anyone would be here at this hour…well, you looked so unhappy…I…I guess…I guess I wanted to help. I mean, I know you probably don't want my help…but, well, despite that…here I am."

She looked down quickly in embarrassment. There was a silence in the classroom that made Hermione very nervous. She almost felt as if she would be expelled for the intrusion. She probably looked very foolish.

She heard a sigh and looked up to see Snape looking at her with a sadness that touched her heart. He walked over to where she was, sitting on the chair next to her.

"Miss Granger, there is much happening at Hogwarts that you are unaware of and it is better this way. My sadness is my own concern and, although I appreciate your offer of help, there is nothing that anyone can do for me. The decisions I made in the past…well, they limit what I can do now. I suppose I wish I had had a little more foresight when I was younger. Things would certainly be different."

She looked at the older man but did not say anything, almost willing him to continue. 

"Sometimes, thinking with your heart, does lead you in the right direction," he said, almost to himself.

He seemed to be pondering something painful but, in a moment, his expression cleared and he looked at her again.

Feeling that she should go, Hermione stood up, as did Professor Snape.

"How is your study group progressing, Miss Granger?" 

Hermione froze for a second.

"It is progressing very well, Professor Snape," she managed to respond through flaming cheeks.

He looked at her as if he was going to ask her another question but then thought the better of it.

"You'll do well on your NEWTs, Miss Granger, with or without the study group," he said with a slight smile.

"Thank you for your confidence in my abilities," she said quietly and quickly left the classroom.

Professor Snape stared at the empty doorway for several moments and then reached into one of his pockets. He drew out a photograph that was quite worn around the edges. It showed a baby, chubby and rosy-cheeked with a mass of black hair. Severus kissed the photograph, returned it to his pocket and then, sighing, settled himself to mark the rest of the assignments.

Hermione's mind was full of unanswered questions as she hurried along the corridor to the common room entrance. It seemed that everyone had secrets, everyone's life had somehow been changed by Voldemort. Even someone as seemingly cold and heartless as Professor Snape had changed.

"Golden Snitch," she said to the portrait of the Fat Lady who, with a smile, allowed her entrance to the common room. 

The common room was empty. She looked at the entrance to the girls' dormitories and shook her head slightly. She was too wound up to shower or sleep and so she decided to start an essay for her History of Magic class. She sat down in one of the really comfortable chairs in front of the fireplace and arranged her quills and parchments around her.

"I'll do a piece on the ancient Egyptian wizards…I have always had a fascination with them," she thought back to when Ron and his family had gone to Egypt that summer before 4th year. She vividly remembered Percy; with his Head Boy badge pinned to his fez, and smiled.

_"Maybe there was always something more than just admiration there," she thought._

Still smiling, she quickly got down to work. She became engrossed in her preliminary draft and had completed two scrolls of writing when she heard the common room entrance open. Surprised that anyone else would be up at this hour, she looked up quickly and saw…

"Malfoy!?! What are you doing here? How on earth did you get in here?" 

She jumped out of her chair and her eyes shot daggers at him.

Draco quickly motioned for her to be quiet, fearfully looking around the room.

"Stop screaming, Granger, I am not going to hurt you. I have just spent the last hour talking to Snape and Dumbledore and they gave me the password. It will be changed tomorrow anyway so just calm down and hear me out. It's important."

Eyes still glaring, and with a hand on her wand under her robes, she nodded stiffly and motioned to a nearby chair. The silver-haired youth sat down. He looked very uncomfortable and kept looking around the room as if he was terrified of being overheard…or attacked by a group of angry Gryffindors.

"Look, I know what you think of me. I know what you all think of me," he started.

"If that is the case then why are you here?" she asked irritably. Hermione was not in the mood for games.

"I play a role, Granger. I am good at it and it keeps me out of trouble with my dad…well, up until now…"

"Sounds like you are giving me plenty of stuff to blackmail you with."

"I am giving you a reason to trust me. You are in more danger than you realize. I don't even know the half of it."

"What are you talking about?"

"I have not sold my soul to the devil, Granger, and I don't plan to. Now it seems there is a price I have to pay for my refusal. Why do you think those shape-shifters looked like me?"

Hermione looked at him blankly. She, Harry and Ron had talked about it but they really had not come up with any good ideas. It had seemed like a mistake.

"I really don't know."

"The idea was that they would…well…complete their assignment and disapparate, leaving the blame to fall on my shoulders. It would have happened, too, if Percy had not been on the train and loaded it with dark magic detection spells."

Hermione looked horrified. This thought had not crossed her mind…it was too awful to even consider!

"Your father wouldn't…"

"My father is ruthless and the only thing he cares about is power."

That left no room for argument. Hermione knew he was right in his assessment of his father.

"What about you?" she finally asked.

"I hate being in Slytherin and hate the people I have to associate with but I have gritted my teeth and borne it because it was expected and it kept me alive. Now, things have changed and I have to be careful with the people in my own house…lousy bunch of backstabbers. I came to warn you that they are still after you."

"After me? Why am I suddenly so important? Harry is the one they should be after."

"Don't you get it, Granger? You are the key to Harry. They would go after Ron too but Harry relies on your intelligence, your muggle logic and intuition as well as your keen witching ability. These are the things, which make you the target. That attack was not random."

Hermione thought about the conversation she had overheard. Had they been talking about her? She shivered.

"What do they want to do with me…kill me?"

"No, they want to break you…destroy your confidence in yourself and your sense of who you are…sway you to their side. This will transform you from Harry Potter's greatest asset to his greatest liability and the key to his downfall."

"Why are you telling me this? Even if all you say is true, it doesn't explain why you are trying to protect me. I'm sorry if I seem a bit suspicious but can you blame me when you look back over the last six years?"

Draco shook his head with a sorrowful look.

"No, I don't blame you, Granger, but I am telling you the truth, what little I know. Why am I doing this? Because…look, I can't talk about that…not now. I will do what I can to help. It is not much but it is all I can do. They are after you and you have to be careful. Percy knows what is going on and I know he will look out for you. If I manage to hear anything else, I will let you know, somehow."

"Malfoy?"

"Yeah, Granger?"

"You swear you had nothing to do with what happened to me?"

Draco sighed heavily and Hermione suddenly had the distinct impression that she had trodden on something better left untouched. His expression reminded her of Professor Snape's. Maybe it was a Slytherin thing.

"I would never do something like that to anyone…least of all to you. You may be the most annoying know-it-all bookworm I have ever known," he smiled at the indignation that shone in her eyes, "but you are smart, brave, loyal and you don't deserve this."

He sounded sincere.

"Okay, I believe you."

The relief on his face was very apparent. He got up to leave.

"Good night, Granger. I know you haven't been sleeping well lately…don't look at me like that…it's not as if I am sneaking into your room and spying on you but those circles under your eyes are pretty obvious. If you need something to help you sleep, don't go to Pomfrey, go to Snape instead. He knows a lot more about that sort of thing."

She looked at him with a questioning glance. He sighed.

"You are not the only one who has trouble sleeping, Granger. Good night."

"Good night, Malfoy."

Hermione mulled over this new information as she watched the young man leave the common room. Somehow what Malfoy told her did not frighten her; it galvanized her into action. 

_"So, they think they can break me, do they? Well, we will see who breaks first!"_

She went up to her room and decided to leave the shower until the morning. Quickly changing into her nightgown, she snuggled in the safety of her warm bed and was asleep in an instant. 

At that same moment, in their respective rooms, five very different men thought about the now-sleeping young woman and each made a vow to protect her at all costs because they loved her…each in their own way.

**__**

A/N: Next chapter should be up by July 14th which is my birthday ::runs screaming from raging heat of all the candles::


	10. Evil On The Horizon

Disclaimer: Anything you recognize does not belong to me but to the goddess, JKR **__**

Disclaimer: Anything you recognize does not belong to me but to the goddess, JKR. Once again, I must thank my reviewers for always being so positive…your input is much appreciated. Also, many thanks for the birthday wishes…if there were a way to send cake over the internet, you'd each have two huge slices!! I hope you like this chapter even though it is somewhat short. As always, constructive reviews are encouraged. If you like, you can e-mail me at [stregabrava@yahoo.ca][1]_ (I'd love to hear from you). Flames will be used to light the candles on my birthday cake._

**Chapter Ten: Evil on the Horizon**

__

***Several days later***

The rather diminutive man was pacing the room nervously. Every creak of the house and every sigh of the wind made him jump and look around in a panic. He was obviously ill at ease in his surroundings and looked as if he wished to scurry under some furniture and hide, trembling. He stopped to peer through a rather decrepit window that was cracked near the bottom and had a whole piece missing. A chill breeze came through, driving the warmth away from his hands. It was past midnight and it was pitch black outside, the moon had hidden her face behind the clouds. He was glad of that…the moon made him nervous…made him think back to another person, another time, another place.

He tiredly ran a hand through his thinning hair and just stared out the window. It was not often when he had a few moments to himself. In fact, it was quite rare to the extent that he did not quite know what to do with himself while waiting. Thoughts spinning madly, he focussed on one memory…a young woman with lustrous red hair and sparkling green eyes.

"Lily," he whispered.

Lily Potter…no, not Lily Potter…just Lily. Better not to associate her with that surname. Lily, the girl he loved.

"The girl you killed," he could not help thinking.

Yes, he had killed her, had betrayed her trust but it was not supposed to have happened like that. Only James and Harry were supposed to have been killed. Lily was to have been spared. Spared for him. It was what he had wanted in return for revealing the location of their hiding place…

__

***FLASHBACK***

"They are using the Fidelius Charm? And you are the Secret Keeper? I find that most unusual. Given the nature of such a complex spell, I would have thought Sirius Black or, at the very least, Remus Lupin, would have been chosen for the task…not some spineless whelp such as yourself."

"Sirius asked that it not be him…a last minute switch…he felt that he was too obvious a choice and would be the first person you would go after."

"Sirius Black has the right sort of mind but it is wasted on those fools. Pity he did not want to join forces for us. He will be the next to go once I am done with the Potters."

"And about the Potters?"

"Let me understand this correctly. You are willing to give me the location where the Potters are hiding if I…"

"Spare Lily…you don't need her…you said so yourself. You only want James and the child."

"This is true. And what will you do with Lily?"

"I love her. I…I have always loved her, my Lord."

"And do you think that she will want you after she learns that you betrayed her husband and her infant son? I hardly think that is realistic."

"I thought…perhaps…a memory charm?"

"Well, that is an interesting idea. Understand this, however. If she refuses to stand aside and insists on protecting them, I will have no choice but to destroy her as well."

"She won't…she can't…" beads of sweat were now appearing on his brow as he became very nervous. How could he be sure that she would be allowed to live? It was a slim chance but was it a reasonable chance?

"I agree to your offer and I will not kill your precious Lily…as long as she does not do anything…imprudent."

"Thank you, my Lord. You are very generous and compassionate to your lowly servant."

"I am neither generous nor compassionate…your proposal suits a purpose and that is all. If it did not, we would not be wasting my time talking about it."

"Of course, my Lord."

"The location. Give me the location now."

He took a deep breath. He pictured James and Lily together with their precious Harry and the hatred boiled up inside of him. He would have revenge and he would have Lily as well.

"They are in Godric's Hollow…you will find them there."

***END FLASHBACK***

Yes, sixteen years ago she had died. He had misjudged her and her love for her child and for her husband. A love that was not destined to be his. So much had happened since then…his encounter with Sirius…his years with Ron Weasley…the terrifying news of Sirius' escape and the consequent near brush with death when Remus and Sirius had him trapped at the Shrieking Shack. The rebirth of his master. The renewal of the killings and the torturings in which he had taken part…thanks to his new hand which was a lethal weapon, particularly well suited for that sort of thing. Everything was proceeding according to plan.

A frown crossed his face.

"But now it has changed," he thought to himself.

"Staring at the moon are we, Wormtail?" an icy cold voice suddenly hissed.

Turning around quickly, Wormtail was surprised to see that Voldemort had already apparated. He quickly bowed down.

"I trust your meeting with the Trolls went well, Master," he said in a sniveling voice.

"It was…productive. They will be powerful allies when the time comes. And it will come soon."

Voldemort's snakelike eyes flashed with an evil fire as he sat down on an adjacent chair.

"Our time is coming soon, Wormtail. The date approaches when we will acquire our target," he said with a thin smile, entirely bereft of any warmth.

"Why do we pursue the Mudblood, Master? Why do we not pursue the Potter boy?"

"For many reasons, Wormtail. Potter is too well protected by that fool, Dumbledore, and a host of other such imbeciles. It would take too many resources for me to get to Potter directly. The Mudblood, on the other hand, is not protected nearly as much and, despite her rather…tainted birth, she is a gifted witch of a talent I have not seen in many years…most unusual for someone who did not come from a pureblood wizarding family. She would make a powerful ally…an ally who could break Potter's spirit and destroy him completely."

"How…"

"Wormtail, it is better to say nothing and at least give others the impression that you know something. Once you open your mouth, one realizes that there is precious little of importance or relevance in that tiny head of yours. Have you not been paying attention at our recent meetings? The Mudblood can be turned because I know what her greatest weakness is and I know well how to play that to my advantage. She will turn against Potter. She will become my most loyal and faithful follower."

"But, Master, I am your most…"

"Crucio!"

That one word, spoken with indifference, resonated in the room as Wormtail fell to the ground writhing in agony, screaming at the top of his lungs for forgiveness. Voldemort watched, somewhat amused by the smaller man's suffering.

Without releasing him from the spell, he continued…

"She will become my most loyal and faithful follower and she will be the one to lead the final attack on Hogwarts. I might even let her kill that idiotic headmaster. The irony would be exquisite…his prized student…one of the most gifted to ever study there…turning against them all and becoming the agent of their destruction."

The sound of insane laughter echoed eerily around the room.

"Finite Incantetum."

Wormtail stopped moving, except for the rapid rise and fall of his chest and his convulsive shaking. He struggled to get up.

"A thousand apologies, Master. I did not mean to presume…"

"Are the preparations on schedule?"

"Yes. There will not be much time available to you but we will be able to manage it. I must remind you, Master, that this is a particularly difficult spell and we will only be able to do this once."

"Once is all I will need," Voldemort hissed at him. Wormtail flinched, afraid to be subjected to the Cruciatus curse again.

"Of course, Master."

"You will need an image in order for the preliminary locating spell to work properly and the last time you saw her was just over three years ago. Here is what the Mudblood looks like now. Memorize her face…I don't want any other mistakes such as the one at the Triwizard Tournament when Potter arrived with…unnecessary company."

Voldemort conjured a wispy figure of a seventeen-year-old girl. The face was blurry at first but slowly came into focus. She had long brown hair, somewhat bushy, cinnamon brown eyes and a friendly smile. 

Wormtail stared at the image in disbelief. 

"She…she is…beautiful," he thought in amazement. Perhaps there was something in that friendly smile, that frank and honest expression and those truthful eyes that reminded him of Lily.

Voldemort noticed this and laughed…a very disturbing laugh.

"Do you see something you like, Wormtail?" he mocked the other man's obvious interest.

"Master, I…"

"Do your job well, Wormtail and you just might get the reward denied you so many years ago. Fail…well, let's just say that you had best not fail this time."

"I understand, Master. I will not fail. I will give you the means to get the Mudblood out of Hogwarts at the predetermined time."

"Go to the others and ensure that all will be in readiness. Be sure to keep me updated or I will make you pay dearly."

"Yes, Master. I will go immediately," and with that, Wormtail disapparated.

Voldemort rose out of the chair and walked over to the fireplace. Uttering a spell, a bright fire suddenly blazed, casting orange, yellow and red reflections around the room. He looked deep into the heart of the fire as it crackled noisily, shooting sparks.

"Soon I will have you, Mudblood and you will not be able to resist me because I am the means of achieving the thing you crave most."

His laughter echoed eerily around the house. It effectively drowned out the quiet sounds of a horror-struck individual who had been listening to the conversation from beneath the cracked window and was now zooming away at top speed on a broom…

__

A/N: Chapter 11 should be up by July 22nd.

   [1]: mailto:stregabrava@yahoo.ca



	11. The Way We Gryffindors Do Things

Disclaimer: This may shock you but nothing you recognize belongs to me but rather to the goddess, JKR ****

Disclaimer: This may shock you but nothing you recognize belongs to me but rather to the goddess, JKR. I have to admit that I was truly overwhelmed by the HUGE response to the last chapter. I guess I never thought that a story like this, which involves a rather untraditional pairing, would be so well received. Your reviews were the among the nicest birthday presents I received…many humble thanks!! I hope you like this next chapter…after the darkness of Chapter 10, I thought I would have a little fun and give everyone a good dose of both humour and fluff. There will be more darkness in the chapters to come so laugh while you can (I am so evil ::grins::). Constructive reviews are always welcome. Flamers will be transfigured into something particularly nasty ::brandishes wand menacingly::. If you like, you may send me an e-mail at [stregabrava@yahoo.ca][1] I always love to hear from new people. Many thanks to Ron, Valancy, Danielle, Amy and Susie for getting in touch with me and for always being so positive. Ringraziamenti speciali a Giulia…spero che questo capitolo ti piacera…grandi sorrisi!!

**Chapter Eleven: The Way We Gryffindors Do Things**

***Several weeks later***

Hermione had arrived early for breakfast that morning. She looked at the practically empty Gryffindor table where only a few adventurous first-years were eating some porridge. She poured herself a glass of pumpkin juice.

_"Harry and Ron probably slept in because of the party last night. Second fastest quidditch win ever. Too bad it was Ravenclaw and not Slytherin," she thought to herself as she sipped her drink._

She watched as other students began to filter into the Great Hall. It was a Saturday and, with no classes to think about, everyone was taking their time coming down to get something to eat. She did not mind all that much and, with glass in hand, let her thoughts wander…thoughts about Percy, thoughts about her own situation, thoughts about NEWTs, thoughts about…

"Hey, Hermione!" Ron's voice broke her train of thought.

She smiled as Ron sat himself beside her and grabbed six slices of toast off of the closest platter.

"Good morning, Ron. Are you going to eat all that in one go?" she asked with a smirk.

Ron looked at her in mock horror.

"Hermione! What kind of a person do you think I am? I do have some manners. I am not going to just stuff my face with these six slices of toast…at least, not until they are properly buttered and spread with yummy marmalade."

Hermione watched in amazement as he did just that, smearing marmalade all over his face.

"Nice to see that your table manners have improved since coming to Hogwarts, Ron," Ginny laughed as she sat down opposite the pair. 

Ron really couldn't answer because his mouth was full to bursting but he nodded at his younger sister in a cordial way.

"Honestly, Ron, do you really want to show the world just how big a mouth you have?" Dean sleepily sat down next to Ron and picked up the pitcher of pumpkin juice to pour himself a glass.

"Whoa! Dean! Your glass is over here!" Seamus hurriedly moved the glass to where the flow of pumpkin juice was being directed. He then sat down next to Ginny

Dean recovered quickly.

"Sorry about that. What a party last night! What a victory! I still think Harry was hiding the Snitch in his pocket the whole time."

"Actually, he transfigured it into a twig on his Firebolt," Seamus laughed.

"You've got it all wrong…he used an advanced Summoning Spell," Ginny giggled.

"Rubbish…he used a Revealing Potion," Ron was finally able to speak, although choking with laughter would have been more accurate.

"Revealing Potion? Is that on our next Potions test?" Neville asked suddenly. He sat down next to Seamus and helped himself to Belgian waffles and blueberry syrup.

"We were talking about Harry and the game yesterday. You know, how he caught the Snitch so quickly," Hermione answered, still sipping her pumpkin juice.

"That was one of the shortest games ever," Neville nodded, "But the party wasn't that short was it? By the way, Hermione, I as looking for you last night but you weren't in the common room. Where were you? I need some help with that skin restorative potion for dragon burns."

Hermione blushed slightly. She had gone for a walk with Percy out by the lake. It wasn't often that they could get some time together.

"I was upstairs in my room, just studying. You know…NEWTs are going to be here before you know it…"

"Oh, come off it, Hermione!" Dean interrupted, waving a slice of bacon for emphasis, causing Ron to duck. "NEWTs are ages away and besides, the study group is more than preparation enough for them."

"Remember Hermione," Ron said, after a glare at Dean as the other boy calmly munched his bacon, "too much work and no play is not the way we Gryffindors do things."

"And how do we Gryffindors do things?" Lavender and Parvati joined the group. Ron blushed as he pushed the pitcher of pumpkin juice over to Lavender. 

"We Gryffindors work hard and play hard eh, Ron old boy?" Seamus answered, reaching across the table to punch Ron on the arm, causing him to yelp.

"We study hard too," Hermione added innocently.

Ron picked up a slice of bacon from Dean's plate, ignoring Dean's protests, and waved it at Hermione.

"You need to get out more. End of discussion."

Harry sleepily walked up to the group. Hermione grinned as she realized that he had put his shirt on backwards.

"Morning," he said through a yawn as he plopped down next to Ginny. Ron and Hermione looked at one another and smiled surreptitiously.

"Good morning, sunshine!" the entire group of Gryffindors said en masse.

Harry sat bolt upright with his eyes wide open and flaming cheeks.

"Was it something we said?" Neville grinned.

"Hey, the professors are starting to come in," Parvati said.

Hermione turned quickly to see the professors taking their places at the Head Table. Dumbledore kept looking at the Slytherin table where Draco Malfoy sat, surrounded by his cronies. She noticed that the young man looked quite ill. Professor Snape came in from another entrance and walked over to Draco. The two of them chatted briefly before leaving the Great Hall together. Dumbledore watched them leave and then, sighing, returned to eating his breakfast.

_"What's wrong with Draco and I wonder where Percy is?" she thought with concern._

"Hermione, you had better eat something before these boys finish everything," Ginny stated with a grin.

Hermione smiled at her friend and took a slice of toast and proceeded to slather it with cream cheese. As she nibbled on it, Percy walked in, accompanied by Professor Lupin. They sat down and chatted amicably as they ate their meal. Percy looked up and, noticing that she was looking at him, smiled. She couldn't help but smile in return and her face coloured slightly. It was still amazing how much could be conveyed through a simple glance.

She looked down at her toast and took another small bite. She really wasn't very hungry. As she looked up, she saw that Ginny was looking at her with a quizzical expression on her face. Hermione fought down the urge to bolt.

"What?" she asked the younger girl casually, "Do I have cream cheese all over my face like Ron's face is covered with marmalade?"

Ron immediately grabbed the nearest napkin and was wiping his face furiously, as Harry roared with laughter.

Ginny didn't answer but Hermione felt that she knew something was up.

_"I guess we will have to talk about this later," she thought to herself. She wasn't too worried about Ginny's reaction._

Professor Snape returned without Draco and sat at the Head Table. She noticed that he was not eating anything either but kept looking at Dumbledore as if he had something important to tell him.

_"I wonder where Malfoy is?" she thought to herself, "Maybe Professor Snape brought him to the infirmary."_

After breakfast was complete, Dumbledore stood up.

"If I could have your attention for just a few moments. Before you embark on your weekend entertainments, I have a very special announcement to make which I am sure will make you all very happy. The other professors and myself have settled upon a date for the upcoming Yule Ball. It will be held two weeks today, here in the Great Hall, with a reception beginning at 6:00 pm and dinner to be served at 7:30 pm. Of course, we will have a band to provide us with music. As in the past, the Ball will be open to all fourth year students or higher or to younger students if they are accompanying an eligible student. It promises to be an enjoyable evening for all. Dress robes are mandatory. I think that is all. Enjoy yourselves today and thank you."

There was an immediate rush of conversation. Hermione noticed that Professor Snape had gotten Dumbledore's attention and the two of them were leaving the Great Hall. She could just barely hear snippets of their conversation.

"…Imperius Curse…could have been fatal."

"…symptoms could have been mistaken…tragedy…"

"…drastic measures are needed…"

"…this is unheard of…never been done before…"

"…desperate times…desperate measures…his safety…top priority…"

Hermione watched them leave through the massive doorway and, with a sigh turned to the professors' table once again. Percy and Professor Lupin were chatting again but they looked anxious. 

_"I wonder what is up now," she sighed and, with an effort, turned back to her friends._

Everyone seemed to be talking about what to wear to the Yule Ball, who to ask, how to do their hair, how to learn to dance. Hermione tuned it all out. She felt a little sad. She knew who she wanted to go with but was it still too soon to…

"Hermione?" Ron's voice brought her back to reality.

"Sorry about that, Ron. I was just thinking of something I had to do…"

"How about if you come to the Ball with me?" he said quietly so that no one else would hear.

Hermione looked at her best friend with genuine affection. She knew that the two of them would have a lot of fun…they had last year…but this year was different. She cared about someone else and Ron…

She smiled and leaned over to him.

"Ron, if I went with you this year, Lavender would hit me with the worst hex she could find. You are one of my best friends but I put limits on what I will endure for you."

Ron looked at her in surprise and then at Lavender, who was watching him shyly. He blushed.

"You know…you really are a great friend. Promise me you will save me a dance," he asked earnestly. 

"Of course I will," Hermione grinned.

Smiling, Ron got up and walked over to Lavender. The two of them walked off together. 

Seamus and Dean made a bet to see which of them would get a date first and they quickly went over to the Ravenclaw table. 

"Hey Parvati," Neville smiled.

Parvati smiled as well.

"Hey Neville."

"Walk you back to the common room?" he offered.

"That would be great."

Hermione watched as another couple left their table. She, Ginny and Harry were the only ones left at their end of the table.

"So," Ginny spoke up, "Who do you think you will go to the Yule Ball with, Hermione?"

Hermione smiled somewhat.

"I don't know if I will be going."

Harry looked shocked.

"You have to go, Hermione. You're Head Girl. It's expected," he exclaimed.

"What about you, Harry? You are Captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team. You have a certain obligation to attend as well."

Harry grinned rather sheepishly.

"Well, there is someone I would like to ask…I just need to find the right moment…"

Hermione stood up with a smile.

"No time like the present."

She left the two of them staring at her as if she had somehow defied all the textbooks and suddenly disapparated while on Hogwarts property. Looking back, she saw how Harry shyly placed his hand on Ginny's and smiled.

As she passed the entrance, she wondered what she was going to do. She went back to her room to pick up the books she had borrowed from the library on Troll Magic. In the library, she had a short chat with Madam Pince about the new books that had just come in. Hermione was particularly interested in a new book on Nicolas Flanel. 

In the end, she decided to sign out a few books on the origins of Stonehenge for an extra-credit essay for Percy's History of Magic class.

As she was making her way back to the Gryffindor tower, she came across Professor Snape.

"Ah, Miss Granger. I was just looking for you," he said, "I need to speak with you in my office."

"Of course, Professor Snape," she replied automatically as she followed him towards the Slytherin dungeons. He held the door to his office open to her and, once she was inside, shut it behind him. He motioned for her to have a seat while he sat down in an adjacent chair. The office was neat and tidy but sparsely furnished. Professor Snape did not put up his various academic certificates as other professors did. Everywhere there were books. Books on Potions. Books on the Dark Arts. Books on many different subjects. Hermione felt that, if she ever had an office, she would probably have it something like this.

"What did you wish to discuss with me, Professor?" she asked.

"I have been in discussions with Headmaster Dumbledore. There has been an unfortunate incident this morning but, luckily enough, tragedy was averted," he said in a quiet voice.

Hermione could not imagine what had happened and simply looked at the older man with a confused expression.

He sighed heavily.

"Someone tried to murder Draco Malfoy."

Hermione jumped out her chair.

"What!!!"

Professor Snape motioned for her to sit down again, which she did although she grabbed the arms of the chair so tight that her knuckles turned white.

"Someone tried to poison him. I was fortunate enough to recognize the symptoms and was able to brew an antidote for him quickly enough before the poisoning got too advanced."

"But how…"

"It was done by a Slytherin…I do not know who. My guess is that the individual was controlled by the Imperius Curse and forced to administer the poison."

"That is horrible. Is Malfoy all right?"

"He is still rather sick but, yes, he will live."

Hermione was silent for a moment.

"Professor?"

"Yes, Miss Granger."

"Could it happen again?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, if it was the Imperius Curse, as you said, then what is to stop whoever it was from trying again?"

"An excellent question…always thinking ahead. I had the same concerns and I have just come from discussing them with the Headmaster."

"How will you protect him?"

"We are going to do something that has, to my knowledge, never been done before at Hogwarts. We are going to switch his house from Slytherin to Gryffindor."

Hermione's eyes widened with shock.

"But…how…I mean…the Sorting Hat chooses where we go…" she spluttered helplessly.

Professor Snape looked at her carefully.

"Do you remember when you were sorted?"

"Of course I do."

"What were you thinking when the Sorting Hat was placed on your head?"

"That I wanted to get into Gryffindor."

"Exactly. The Sorting Hat's main strategy in determining which house an individual is sorted into is by ascertaining what the individual preferences are. In the vast majority of instances, the preference is in perfect alignment with the most appropriate house, given their character. However, sometimes…"

"Sometimes, there is conflict?"

Professor Snape smiled somewhat.

"Sometimes it is the individual who brings the conflict. Did Harry never tell you that he was almost sorted into Slytherin?"

"Yes, he told us over the summer. It had been a secret that had been bothering him long enough, he said."

"Well, Draco Malfoy only went into Slytherin because he was terrified of the consequences if he were to go anywhere else. The Sorting Hat had suggested the house of Gryffindor."

"I have to say that I am a little overwhelmed by this."

"I understand, Miss Granger. As I said, this has never been done before and I know it will cause some feathers to be ruffled but we must do what we must in order to protect Draco. He will be protected if he is in your house."

"The others…"

"Professor Dumbledore is meeting with all the Gryffindors in the common room as we speak. He has already instructed the heads of the houses to explain the situation, albeit in much less detail, to their students."

"This is all so strange, Professor."

'I quite agree."

"Harry is not going to be too impressed by this."

"Talk to him. Although I know that he and Draco have never been friends, I think I know Harry well enough to assume he will accept this once he realizes what is at stake."

"I hope you are right, Professor."

"If you need anything, Miss Granger, please do not hesitate to come to me."

Hermione smiled.

"Thank you, Professor…I will keep that in mind."

She got up and walked to the door, opening it slightly. She paused for a moment, as if in sudden thought and then turned around to face him again.

"Did the Sorting Hat have any difficulties sorting you?" she suddenly asked.

Professor Snape looked surprised at the question but a slight smile appeared at the corners of his mouth.

"Why do you ask?"

"Because I think you are far too decent to have been automatically put into Slytherin." She said sincerely and then walked into the hallway, leaving a very shocked Potions Master in his office.

As she walked down the hallway, she thought about what happened to Draco.

"Maybe I had better check the infirmary to see if Malfoy is there or not."

She made her way through the corridors and knocked on the door to Madam Pomfrey's office.

The door opened and Hermione smiled at the good-natured mediwitch.

"Well, hello there, my dear. What brings you here? You don't need a headache potion as well, do you?"

Hermione laughed, "No, I feel quite fine."

The older woman looked relieved.

"It's the same after every Gryffindor victory. I get at least a dozen of you coming down the next morning complaining of headaches."

Hermione laughed but quickly became serious again.

"Madam Pomfrey, I was wondering if Draco Malfoy was here. I saw him at breakfast and he looked very ill. Professor Snape brought him out of the Great Hall and I thought he might have brought him here."

Madam Pomfrey sighed and a sad expression crossed her face.

"Yes, he is here, the poor lad. Come into my office, Hermione, I don't want to be adding to the gossip mill by gabbing out here."

Hermione followed the older woman into her office which smelled pleasantly of chamomile and mint. She sat down on an armchair while Madam Pomfrey sat down behind her desk.

"I believe you already know that someone tried to poison Draco Malfoy," she said in a tired voice.

Hermione nodded.

"Is he all right?"

"He will be fine. Thankfully, Professor Snape recognized the symptoms of someone who had been given the Potion of Morpheus and was able to brew the antidote for him in time. I could have done it as well but I might not have been able to administer it before…well…I am glad that Professor Snape was there."

"What is the Potion of Morpheus?"

"It is one of the deadlier sleeping poisons. It gradually puts you into a deep sleep and then…well, you stop breathing. Once you are asleep, there is nothing that can be done for you."

Hermione shivered.

"Can I see him?"

"Of course. He will be joining your house, you know."

"Yes, Professor Snape told me about that. It is rather a shock that such a decision was made."

"Well, my dear, desperate times call for desperate measures. I do not want to see any of my students get hurt. I suppose he could always transfer back once the danger has passed."

Hermione stood up, "Would it be all right if I go see Malfoy now?"

"Certainly, my dear. Only five minutes, however. He needs his rest."

Hermione walked out of Madam Pomfrey's office and over to the infirmary. 

_"What a strange turn of events. I feel so guilty though. Malfoy said he was in danger…maybe I should have paid more attention to what he was telling me."_

She quickly found the cot where Draco was sleeping. He looked flushed and his forehead glistened with sweat. She quickly got a clean cloth and dipped it in a basin of cool water on the small table next to the cot and proceeded to wipe his face gently. His eyes opened although it took a while for them to focus on her.

"Hi, Granger," he said weakly.

"Hi yourself. This is a heck of a way to get attention, Malfoy."

He smiled.

"It worked, didn't it?"

Hermione returned the smile but her expression sobered almost immediately.

"Are you really okay? I saw that you weren't feeling well at breakfast but I…I never thought…"

"Never thought that my father would try to get rid of me in such an awful, hands-off kind of way?"

She nodded quietly, placing the cloth in the cool water again.

"I heard you are going to be a part of Gryffindor."

"Sorry to disappoint you, Granger."

"Don't be ridiculous, Malfoy. It is the best house after all"

He smirked.

"You should know that I am not planning to take Potter's place as Gryffindor seeker."

"Well, I am sure he will be pleased to hear that."

An expression of pain crossed his face and he clutched at his stomach. Hermione was about to call for Madam Pomfrey but he shook his head.

"It's just…after effects…Snape warned me they might be bad."

Hermione's face clearly showed how concerned she was.

"Hey, I'm not going to die, you know."

"Too much has happened in the last few months, Malfoy. I guess I have a hard time absorbing it all."

"You'd have an easier time if there were a textbook right?"

Hermione smiled slightly although she purposefully neglected to fully wring out the washcloth the next time she passed it on his face, causing him to splutter.

"You trying to drown me or something, Granger?"

"Whatever gave you that idea, Malfoy?"

Draco's expression became pensive.

"The others are not going to take this particularly well, are they?"

Hermione sighed.

"Dumbledore will talk to them and I will talk with them. It will be okay, I think. It will just take some getting used to. You have to admit this is highly unusual."

You really are an optimist, aren't you, Granger?"

"I think that is the nicest thing you have ever called me."

Draco looked as if he was going to say something else but changed his mind.

"What?" she asked.

"Nothing."

A slight blush stole across the pale young man's cheeks. She continued to wipe his face with the wet cloth and soon his eyes slowly began to close. 

"How does that feel?" she asked.

"Better…thanks," he murmured sleepily.

"I'll come by later…I know how much fun being in the infirmary can be. I will try to get Harry and Ron to come as well."

He smiled slightly but his deep breathing signified that he had fallen asleep. Hermione got up quietly and made her way to the door. She stopped to look at him again.

"How could any father do that to their child?" she wondered angrily as she walked into the corridor.

She reached the common room entrance and, after telling the Fat Lady the password ("Godric") she went in. Almost immediately, she was practically deafened by the sounds of yelling, shouting and hollering.

"I guess they have found out about Draco," she thought to herself with a sigh.

She made her way to the fireplace and stood up on the oak coffee table.

"Sonorem!" 

A loud boom echoed off the walls of the common room and immediately there was silence as all eyes turned to her. 

"It has recently come to my attention that we will be welcoming a new member to the house of Gryffindor…"

She began to wave her wand impatiently as the yelling started again.

"I realize that this is a most unusual circumstance and one that, perhaps, you are not particularly comfortable with. I know that Dumbledore has already spoken with you but I wanted to talk to you as well. The reason behind the change is to save Malfoy's life."'

That got their attention. One could hear a pin drop.

"Someone from Slytherin tried to poison Malfoy this morning and would have certainly killed him if it were not for the quick thinking of Professor Snape. We do not know who did this yet but we hope to find out shortly. For his own safety, he is being transferred here. I expect you to treat him with courtesy…I have every reason to believe that he will do the same. I know this is asking a lot from you, especially given how he has acted in the past, but we must try our best."

She waited for a response…the silence was unbearable.

She could see Ginny whispering in Harry's ear. He nodded at whatever it was she told him. With a grave expression, he walked over to where Hermione was standing and joined her on the coffee table.

"If someone tried to poison Malfoy then we have to do our bit to protect him. We're Gryffindors and that's the way we Gryffindors do things around here," he stated in a serious tone.

"Yeah," Ron added emphatically, looking utterly confused but somehow feeling that he was doing the right thing.

The conversations started up again and Hermione and Harry stepped down onto the floor. 

"Are you okay?" Harry asked.

"Not really. I went to see him in the infirmary. Madam Pomfrey said that it was something called the Potion of Morpheus. Professor Snape recognized the symptoms this morning and quickly gave him the antidote. He still looked pretty awful…feverish. It reminded me of when I was there a few months ago," she shivered slightly.

"I'm very proud of you, Hermione," Percy's voice came from behind her. She turned around quickly and blushed at the look of admiration in his eyes. "It takes a lot of bravery to tell the others to put aside their differences like that."

Harry put his arm around her shoulders, "It's like I have always said…You-Know-Who doesn't stand a chance as long as I have you on my side."

The others chuckled but Percy and Hermione exchanged a worried glance. Harry didn't know just how accurate he had just been. Motioning to Harry, Ginny, Ron and Percy, Hermione moved the little group to a more private corner of the common room.

Ginny gave Hermione a very devious look.

"Harry asked me to the Yule Ball," she stated quietly but with dancing eyes.

Hermione looked at Ginny and smiled. Harry smiled as well, running a hand through his unruly hair somewhat nervously.

"I hope you accepted," Hermione said in mock seriousness.

Percy looked askance at Ron spluttering in laughter.

"What do you think?" Ginny grinned.

Hermione laughed, eager to put her troubled thoughts to the back of her mind.

"What about you, Percy? Are you going to go to the Yule Ball?" the youngest Weasley asked innocently.

Percy was still looking at Ron and wasn't really paying attention to what his little sister was saying.

"What? Yes, I suppose so…all the professors are going…I…"  
  
Ginny clapped her hands in delight,

"Perfect. Then it's settled…you can take Hermione."

In the blink of an eye several things happened.

Percy and Hermione looked at one another and their cheeks quickly tinged with a tell-tale pink. Harry and Ron looked at the two of them and then at one another, a look of shocked understanding crossing their faces. Ginny simply looked delightfully content at having figured things out before anyone else did.

"Percy. Dear brother. Is there something that you perhaps have neglected to tell me?" Ron assumed his most pompous stance and crossed his arms over his chest in an effort to look imposing.

"Yes, Hermione. Best friend and witch extraordinaire. Do enlighten us," Harry stood next to Ron in the same pose. Ginny started laughing like crazy at the two of them.

Percy looked at his brother and then at Hermione. He smiled.

_"Why not?" he thought to himself._

"Hermione…" he started.

"Absolutely," she exclaimed.

Percy looked confused.

"What?"

She smiled.

"I would absolutely love to go to the Yule Ball with you."

Percy grinned sheepishly.

***Sometime later***

"You owe me five Galleons, Harry," Ron whispered in his friend's ear.

Harry nodded but he didn't really care…he had not seen Hermione this happy in a long time…five Galleons seemed like a small price to pay.

A/N: Next chapter should be up by July 29th. 

   [1]: mailto:stregabrava@yahoo.ca



	12. The Calm Before the Storm

Disclaimer: Anything you recognize belongs to the goddess JKR **__**

Disclaimer: Anything you recognize belongs to the goddess JKR. Many thanks to my faithful reviewers as always…you make this so much fun for me. I hope you like this chapter…let me know if you do. Constructive reviews are welcomed and encouraged. Flamers will be sent a care package of undiluted Bubotuber Pus. If you like, you can drop me a line at [_stregabrava@yahoo.ca_][1]_ I am going on vacation for a bit and so I thought I would post this chapter now rather than be late. Chapter Thirteen is already in the works and I hope to have that to you relatively soon. And, for those of you who are interested, I am working on Chapter 4 of "Hour of Grace." Take care!!_

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Chapter 12: The Calm Before the Storm

It seemed as if the next week simply flew by. Another Saturday had arrived and Hermione was starting to worry about the Yule Ball. What was she going to wear? Last year, she and Ron had gone together but it hadn't really been as a couple. They had just wanted to have fun…and they did. Hermione smiled at the memories. He really was such a great friend.

Still yawning, Hermione stumbled down into the common room, intent on getting an early start on breakfast. She noticed Harry and Ron sitting by the window looking over a piece of parchment and hurried over to where they were.

"Good morning. What's up?" she asked.

Harry and Ron looked at each other quickly as if debating whether or not to tell her.

"Here," Harry held out the parchment which she took and read over.

__

Dear Harry,

Was happy to hear about the Quidditch victory over Ravenclaw last week. Your next game is against Slytherin? Who is their new seeker now that Draco has switched over to Gryffindor? Dumbledore knows what he's doing in transferring him.. The reason why I am writing is that I have been hearing reports that Wormtail has been sighted near Hogwarts. I myself saw him not a couple of miles away from there. Although I have no idea what he is up to, the recent poisoning makes me think that he was behind it. Thank goodness he did not succeed. Keep your ears open and make sure you are careful. If he is bold enough to come so close to the school, there must be some big plan in the works. I will try to find out what I can. Let me know if anything happens…anything at all. Please be careful.

Affectionately,

Padfoot

Hermione's hands were trembling when she handed the parchment back to Harry. He looked at her strangely.

"Are you all right?" he asked with concern.

"I'll be fine. It's…it's just a little unnerving…that thing about Peter Pettigrew," she shuddered involuntarily.

"Slimy git," Ron whispered under his breath.

"Snuffles is right. We had better be careful. Peter knows how to use Dark Magic and he isn't afraid of killing…he has done it before," Harry said in a low voice.

"Here comes Malfoy," Ron said suddenly. Harry put the parchment away quickly. He wasn't ready to trust the former Slytherin with everything just yet.

"Morning Malfoy," Hermione called out, forcing a smile on her face.

"Morning," Ron and Harry said in a friendly sort of way. 

Hermione was pleased that her two friends were making an effort. It really was all she had asked them to do. 

"Morning all," Draco answered.

There was a bit of an awkward silence.

"Hey Potter, don't you have quidditch practice this afternoon?" Draco suddenly asked.

"4:00 pm…the pitch has already been booked," Harry answered with a ghost of a smile on his face.

"Mind if I join you? I haven't been up on my broom for a while and I thought we might get a game of three on three going after you are all done."

Harry and Ron both smiled.

"Sure. Why not? And we won't even ask you about those secret Slytherin strategies," Ron laughed.

Draco laughed as well.

Hermione smiled. 

__

"Typical male bonding over quidditch," she thought to herself in amusement.

"Hermione, I am having a crisis of the worst kind," Ginny's voice was suddenly heard over the laughter.

"Uh oh," Ron suddenly pulled Draco and Harry backward, "When Ginny is in a crisis, make tracks...fast."

"I guess we will see you at breakfast," Harry called as Ron hurried them to the common room entrance.

"Weasley, you're choking me…see you," Draco managed to say before disappearing with the other boys.

Hermione turned to her friend who looked rather panicky.

"What's up Ginny?" she asked.

"I have nothing to wear for the Yule Ball. All these years that I hoped Harry would ask and now he does and all I have is an old set of Mother's dress robes which are horrible. Luckily I saved the money I made running errands for the Ministry of Magic but I can't go to the local dressmaker shop by myself. Hermione, you have to come with me. You just have to. I want to look…perfect."

"Ginny, you could show up in a burlap sack and Harry would think you looked perfect," she said sincerely.

Ginny blushed.

"You know what I mean. Besides, what are you going to wear?" 

"I haven't decided yet. The robes I wore last year I had borrowed from Lavender. I think I might like to buy something for myself this year."

"Percy would think you would look perfect if you wore a burlap sack." Ginny teased.

"Well, be that as it may, I think I would rather make a better entrance with a proper set of dress robes."

"So, shall we make the trek to the local dressmaker after breakfast?"

"Not without me you won't," Percy's voice sounded suddenly as he entered the common room.

"I think we are perfectly capable of taking care of ourselves, brother dear," Ginny protested.

Percy walked up to the two young women.

"Now, Ginny, I am well aware of that but I promised Mother that I would watch out for you," he said with a smile, "Why don't you get your money and that way we can go right after breakfast."

"Okay. I don't suppose you will mind being left alone with my brother, will you, Hermione?"

"I'll manage," Hermione answered with a grin. Ginny quickly scampered to the dormitory entrance.

"Hermione," Percy turned to her with a serious expression on his face, "You know I have to come with you to Hogsmeade. Harry told me about the letter from Sirius Black…yes, I am well aware that he is innocent…Dumbledore told me quite some time ago. The point is that I cannot let you leave the safety of Hogwarts without…" he was searching for the right word.

"Protection?" Hermione offered. 

Percy nodded.

"Peter Pettigrew is a ruthless killer and I agree with Sirius that it is highly likely he was responsible for the attempt on Draco Malfoy's life. You know that it was my original assignment to protect you. Well, things have changed and…well, I…I don't want anything to happen to you."

Hermione looked up at him with shining eyes and gently caressed his cheek, causing his breath to catch.

"How can someone like you be related to someone like those twin brothers of yours?" she asked with a sudden smile.

"I guess I am just lucky," he grinned.

"No, I am the one who is lucky," she answered, standing up on tiptoe and brushing her lips against his cheek. They held each other for a moment, savouring the closeness.

"I almost forgot…I brought you something," he gave her a small bunch of gardenias.

"Oh, Percy, they are lovely. Thank you so much," she inhaled the heady fragrance. He coloured slightly but looked pleased.

"I've enchanted them so that they won't fade for a couple of weeks at least. I thought you might like to put them in your hair," he added shyly.

Hermione beamed.

"Hey there!" Ginny called from behind the dormitory entrance, "Is it okay for me to come down?"

Percy and Hermione looked at one another and started laughing.

"You can come down, Ginny," they said in unison, causing more laughter.

**__**

At the dressmaker's shop

Percy decided that he had gone where angels feared to tread as he accompanied the two young women on their shopping excursion. Hermione had not had much of a chance to look for anything herself as she tried to help Ginny find something perfect. As he looked around, he noticed the dressmaker motioning for him. Sighing, he walked over.

"Good morning," he said.

The older woman smiled at him.

"I think you are a reluctant third party, Professor Weasley," she smiled.

"Well, I have an obligation to make sure my sister does not spend all her money…have to instill responsibilities you know," he laughed.

"I don't think I have ever seen Miss Granger come in here to buy dress robes," she mused.

Percy looked at Hermione as she patiently listened to Ginny talking about how that robe was too contemporary and that one was too revealing and that one was not revealing enough and that one clashed with her hair…

"Would you be able to make a suggestion for Hermione? I don't know if she will ever be able to look for something herself. It seems Ginny is rather frantic about making the right entrance."

The dressmaker smiled. Something in the young man's voice was very endearing.

"I think I have something in the back. It's just arrived. You can take a look and tell me what you think."

Percy followed her to the storeroom. Hermione saw him go but could not leave Ginny in the state she was in.

"Hermione, what am I going to do?" Ginny pleaded.

"First of all, calm down. Sit over there on that nice comfy chair. Let me take a look around."

Ginny sat down but her expression was wary as if somewhat ill at ease with having Hermione choose something for her.

"Don't worry, Ginny, I am not going to pick out a set of professor robes, as attractive as they might be," Hermione smiled.

Ginny exploded in laughter at the very thought.

Hermione glanced over the newest dress robes and something caught her eye. It was tucked in between a set of dark blue robes of gabardine and a set of russet coloured robes of some sort of crepe-chiffon sort of fabric. All she saw was the colour and she reached in to pull out the hanger.

"Perfect," she thought to herself.

She walked back to Ginny and held the robes out for her to see. Ginny gaped in astonishment. The robes were in a brilliant emerald green colour with intricate gold embroidery around the sleeves and neckline. The fabric was something like silk but much softer and it had a sheen to it which added to its elegance.

"That is beautiful," Ginny said simply.

"Why don't you go try it on?" Hermione suggested.

Ginny jumped up off the chair, grabbed the robes and hurried to the dressing room. Hermione smiled and was reasonably certain of success.

"Now, let's see what I can wear," she thought to herself.

She started looking through some beautiful dress robes from China.

"Any luck?" Percy had come up right behind her.

"I've only just started looking. I think I found something nice for Ginny though," she answered.

"I found something that you might like. Why don't you go try it on," he handed her a garment bag.

"Be back in a moment," she smiled at him, "And tell Ginny she looks wonderful…she is so nervous about the Yule Ball."

Percy nodded as Hermione made her way to the dressing room next to Ginny's. He sat down on the chair and waited patiently. In a few moments, Ginny came out.

"I feel like a princess, Percy. What do you think?"

Percy smiled at his little sister in her emerald green robes.

"You look beautiful," he said sincerely as her face flushed with happiness.

"My dear, those robes bring out the colour of your eyes. Why don't you come over here and I will hem them for you while we work out a price?" the dressmaker called.

Ginny practically floated over to the hemming stool. Percy grinned. His little sister was all grown up now.

The other dressing room door opened and Hermione stepped out. Percy stared at her with unabashed admiration.

Hermione was wearing robes in a lovely shade of deep amethyst. Here are there, silver stars were embroidered on the flowing silk fabric. The styling was simple but the effect was profound. The robes gave her figure a definition that was certainly never apparent in her school robes. She looked like…

"Like a goddess," he thought to himself in shock.

Hermione was smiling as she twirled around in front of the mirror. She turned to face Percy, waiting for a reaction. He didn't say anything. He was just staring at her.

"Percy? Are you all right? What do you think?"

"He's lost the ability for the time being," Ginny called with a knowing smile on her face.

Hermione grinned and walked over to Percy.

"I guess I should look for something else," she whispered in his ear.

Percy's eyes widened.

"No, you can't…I mean…I have already paid for them," he protested, not realizing that she had not really been serious.

Hermione simply smiled and so did Percy.

"Honestly, you two," Ginny said in mock disapproval. The dressmaker simply grinned.

**__**

That Night

Hermione looked at her new robes where she had hung them carefully outside her closet so that they would not wrinkle. They really were very lovely. Percy had a good eye when it came to clothes. He had refused her offer to repay him so she decided she would pick up a couple of books she knew he would like the next time she was in Hogsmeade.

She lay down in her bed and thought about the day's events. Her last conscious thought before succumbing to the pull of sleep was that she felt safe with Percy…safe…

__

She was in a hallway in Hogwarts. She thought she knew where as there were paintings and statues that she recognized but it seemed she had not passed this way for quite some time. She was not alone. Someone was talking to her but she could not make out the words. It did not matter. The voice sounded pleasant. She could see blue. Suddenly the other person gripped her as a loud laugh was heard which made her shiver. She could not see where it was coming from.

"Come with me," the voice said to her.

She shook her head and tried to hold on to her companion.

"Come with me or he will surely die."

She could hear her companion shouting at her as she slowly and reluctantly let go of him. She felt herself going up…up…up…her companion's voice slowly fading.

"You are now mine," the voice said and then there was a flash of brilliant green light…

Hermione jumped up and looked around her in a panic. Her heart was pounding furiously in her chest and she shivered as she realized that she was covered in a cold sweat.

"Percy!" she thought to herself, "I have to find Percy."

She didn't give herself a chance to think, she simply threw on her dressing gown and practically flew out of her room, wand in hand.

"I can't let anything happen to him," was her only thought as she meandered through the hallways at a full-out run, robes streaming behind her.

"Head girl. Head girl. Why are you out of bed girl?" Peeves floated by with an insolent grin on his ghostly face.

Hermione glared at him with such force that he almost toppled out of the air.

"Don't tempt me," she hissed through clenched lips as she ran by him.

She reached the area where the professors' quarters were. She quickly muttered the opening spell which, as Head Girl, she was privy to and hurried down the hallway. Halfway down, she realized that she had no idea which room was Percy's.

"Honestly, I am a witch am I not?" she muttered angrily as she quickly performed a rudimentary locating spell. Still breathing heavily from the exertion and the overwhelming sense of dread that seemed to hang over her, she watched as a trail of silvery light emanated from her wand and paused at each of the doorways. It finally stopped at one doorway and she ran over to it.

"I hope that spell worked," she thought to herself as she quickly raised her hand to knock when the door suddenly opened and there stood Percy, hair sleep-tousled and glasses slightly askew with a look of fright and shock on his face.

"Hermione? What are…how…you'd better come in here before anyone sees you," he whispered as he pulled her into his room.

Closing the door, Hermione noticed that he looked very pale and was shaking somewhat.

"Are you all right, Percy?"

"Am I all right? What are you doing here, Hermione?"

The images of her nightmare came back in an instant and tears came to her eyes.

"I was scared…I had…I thought I saw…I thought you were in danger…somehow…" she completely broke down in relief as she realized that nothing had happened to him.

__

"Stupid dreams. I am getting as bad as Trelawney," she thought to herself as she tried to recover her self-control.

Percy quickly walked over and embraced her. Hermione felt his warmth drive away the coldness that had seemed to envelope her heart and relaxed somewhat.

"Don't worry. I'm fine…I just…well, I was worried about you too," he murmured into her hair.

Hermione pulled away slightly and looked into his eyes. He looked as if he had feared he would never see her again.

"Why?" she asked quietly.

"It's silly, really, now that I think about it. I mean, it's not as if I have ever put much stock in these things," he stammered, blushing, "But, well, at the time, it frightened me. I have been having a recurring nightmare for some time and tonight, well…it was more vivid than usual. I thought you…needed my help."

Hermione looked at him in surprise.

"I had a nightmare too. I thought it meant that something had happened to you."

They looked at one another in sudden realization. They kissed each other, almost as an affirmation that they were, in fact, all right, reveling in simply being in love and being alive.

Percy looked at her and suddenly looked pensive.

"What is it, Percy?" 

"I don't know what I would do if anything happened to you. You don't know how I felt…I thought I had lost you forever…I felt so empty…I never want to feel that…never want to be without you…"

Hermione reached up with her hand to touch his mouth, gently forbidding him from saying anything else.

"I feel the same…I don't ever want to know what it is like not to have you in my life. Nothing is going to happen to me," she whispered as she felt his arms tighten around her and his lips touch hers. All her fears seemed to take flight and vanish at his touch…

"Nothing," she thought as she held him close.

"I think you should go back to your room, Hermione," Percy murmured through his kiss.

"I think that might be a good idea," she answered, somewhat unintelligibly.

Without letting go of each other, they managed to make it to Percy's door and opened it. However, Percy tripped over the sash of Hermione's dressing robe and they both tumbled onto the hallway floor in a heap.

Percy and Hermione looked at one another in a panic. Then they heard it, the click of a doorknob.

Professor Lupin poked his head into the hallway. He looked very sleepy. His eyes fell on the two young people, hopelessly tangled on the floor and smiled.

"Professor Lupin, " Hermione stammered, blushing furiously, "I was…I mean, I was just checking…I mean."

"You had best return to your quarters, Miss Granger. I highly doubt Professor McGonagall would be as understanding of what it is to be young and in love," Professor Lupin laughed quietly and both Percy and Hermione felt that he was not angry or outraged but merely amused. They each smiled in return, somewhat guiltily.

"I had better go before someone else shows up," Hermione whispered to Percy. Percy nodded. They each got up carefully, adjusting their clothing with as much dignity as they could muster.

"Good night, Percy," she smiled.

"Good night, Hermione," he smiled back and went back into his room.

As she passed Professor Lupin, she stopped suddenly.

"Professor…" she started somewhat nervously.

"This never happened and I never saw you," he smiled.

Hermione looked at him in gratitude and raced back to her room.

Professor Lupin, still smiling, re-entered his room and closed the door carefully behind him. He went over to his old, battered suitcase and quickly found a small ebony box. Opening it, he pulled out a photograph…it was a wedding announcement. He looked at it thoughtfully for several moments.

"I never did tell when I found the two of you in a similar situation, did I?" he asked the photograph quietly, a wistful expression on his face, "Funny how history repeats itself."

   [1]: mailto:stregabrava@yahoo.ca



	13. When The Clock Strikes Twelve

Disclaimer: Anything you recognize belongs to the goddess, JKR **__**

Disclaimer: Anything you recognize belongs to the goddess, JKR. Many thanks to my reviewers for being so positive about this story. I hope you like this chapter…there is something for everyone here. Your constructive reviews are always appreciated. Flamers will hexed. Special thanks to Ron, Giulia, Valancy, Amy, Danielle, Susie, Tessie, Joycie, Dark Mark and Silver Ray for their input (hope you all like the result) and for always being so great to chat with…three slices of cake for each of you…Happy belated birthday Silver Ray (August 3rd, right?)!

**Chapter Thirteen: When The Clock Strikes Twelve**

The following week seemed to fly by faster than a Firebolt. Hermione could not understand how she managed to get through Defense Against the Dark Arts class. Every time she looked at Professor Lupin, she turned red. For his part, Professor Lupin seemed to be smiling an awful lot.

_"This is so embarrassing," she thought to herself, "But it could have been worse…it could have been Professor McGonagall. I would have had a lifetime's worth of detention."_

Thankfully, the nightmare had not resurfaced and she had been able to sleep in relative peace. Even so, she could not get it out of her mind. It had been a frightening dream and she could still remember it so vividly, not like the others which quickly blurred with time. This one was different. She could not shake the feeling that it meant something…something important…something terrible.

_"I am being ridiculous. This is a dream. Nothing more. Honestly, if I really thought there were more to it than that, I would never have dropped Divination back in third year."_

Maybe it wasn't even the dream that was giving her that sense of foreboding. Maybe it was a feeling that people were watching out for her, keeping an eye on her and making sure she was never too far out of reach. She had seen Professor Snape keeping a close eye on her during breakfast. She had noticed Professor Lupin come into the common room much more frequently. She even realized that Professor McGonagall's nightly chats after the study group was done were a pretence of making sure that she got to her dorm in one piece. It seemed as if everyone thought she was in danger which did not make her feel much better.

One night, she was sitting rather morosely in the common room, surrounded by the active chatter of her friends. Looking around, she saw Harry and Ron engaged in a rather violent game of Wizard Chess, judging by how loudly the pieces were yelling. Lavender and Parvati were goggling over a new catalogue of dress robes that Fleur had sent to them. Neville, Dean and Seamus were playing Exploding Snap. She noticed that Draco was talking to Percy.

_"Wonder what they're talking about?" she thought to herself._

Percy nodded to Draco and the younger boy walked over to her. Percy walked over to watch Ron and Harry play another game of Wizard Chess.

"Hey Granger," he smiled.

"Is it your turn for guard duty?" she asked somewhat testily.

Draco smiled rather mischievously.

"I just thought a game of Exploding Snap would be fun. Unless you want to read an exciting chapter of "Hogwarts: A History" to me."

Hermione laughed, her moodiness forgotten.

"You've come a long way, Malfoy. I never thought I'd see the day when you would make me laugh."

"I take that as a compliment."

"Don't be such a prat. I mean it. Even Harry and Ron are starting to treat you like another Gryffindor. It isn't so forced anymore. I can tell."

"Well, I have to tell you, this past while in Gryffindor has been much better than my previous six years in Slytherin. The only good things about Slytherin were the couple of real friends I had and, of course, Snape."

"Professor Snape puzzles me."

"Why?"

"I haven't figured out what puzzles me. His whole attitude has changed over the summer."

"You know, we could discuss this while we play."

"Okay."

Draco quickly fished out a deck from his robe pocket and began to deal.

"Percy must really care for you, Granger."

Hermione turned to Draco in some surprise. He was looking at her in that way that made her think of Professor Snape.

"That's a surprising thing for you to say, Malfoy. What made you say that?"

"Because he doesn't feel threatened by…by anything."

"Well, there is nothing for him to feel threatened about."

"No, I suppose not."

"Are you all right, Malfoy?"

"Sure. Why?"

"You look a bit flushed."

"I'm fine…really. Hey, I was wondering…could I join your study group? NEWT's have me worried a little and the extra studying would help. Besides, I've seen how it's helped Longbottom in Potions."

"True. Professor Snape is letting him use the good cauldrons now."

They were both smiling now as they played. Draco watched Hermione…the way she bit her bottom lip and furled her brow slightly when she was concentrating. He almost shook his head in disbelief…she and Percy really were a lot alike…both taking things so seriously.

_"Including each other," he thought to himself somewhat wistfully as Hermione happily won a round._

As she collected the cards to deal them again, she looked up at him and grinned, "Are you going to the Yule Ball?" 

For a moment, Draco was speechless. Then he smirked and crossed his arms over his chest and tried to look very smug.

"I'll be there on one condition," he drawled very dramatically.

Hermione looked at him curiously but with laughter in her eyes.

"And what would that be?" she asked.

Draco leaned forward to pick up the cards that she had dealt him.

"Save me a dance," he said quietly, smiling nervously.

Hermione nodded.

"On one condition."

"Yes?"

"Don't step on my toes or I will set fire to your robes," she smiled back, "Just ask Professor Snape…I'm pretty good at that."

__

***The Night of the Yule Ball***

"Are you ready to come out yet, Hermione?" Ginny asked for the hundredth time. The youngest Weasley was sitting on a chair while having her hair done by Parvati (who was very good at that sort of thing).

"Just one second. This fastening thingee is stuck," Hermione's voice filtered through the closet door.

"Thingee?" Lavender said to Ginny. Ginny shrugged.

"You look so nice, Lavender. Ron is going to be left speechless. Parvati, Neville is going to be floored," Ginny gushed.

The two older girls smiled at the compliments.

"Well, what do you think?" Parvati asked Ginny as she handed the younger girl a mirror.

Parvati had chosen a simple yet elegant updo for Ginny which was sleek and polished but had a crazy bunch of ringlets at the nape of her neck.

"Wow…I hope Harry likes it," she sighed at her reflection.

Lavender smiled as she took the mirror away.

"If he doesn't like it I will personally place the Full Body Bind spell on him until he comes to his senses," she said in a tone of mock seriousness.

"Okay, I am coming out now. Please refrain from laughing," Hermione's voice interrupted them.

The three girls saw the closet door open and watched Hermione step forward.

"You look beautiful," Parvati said in a hushed voice. The others simply nodded.

Hermione blushed as she looked at her reflection in the mirror on the wall. Yes, the colour of the robes really brought out the highlights in her hair and the design made her look…well…very feminine.

"Are you sure the neckline isn't too low?" she asked.

"It's just where it should be," Lavender assured her, "Now, why don't you sit yourself down and let Parvati work her magic on your hair."

Hermione nodded and Ginny got up to stand by the door while Parvati worked quickly and efficiently on the masses of brown hair.

"With a gown as classic as this, you want to have a classic hairstyle. I am going to do a simple french roll. It's elegant and really shows off the neckline of your dress. I can tuck in some flowers, if you like."

Hermione reached over on the table where the gardenias that Percy had given her lay spread out. She handed them to Parvati.

"Perfect. Now, just give me a second…just one more over here…all done. Now, tell me what you think."

Hermione looked at her reflection in the mirror that Parvati handed her and smiled. She turned to give the other girl a hug.

"Thank you so much."

"Don't worry about it. Come on, we have time for a quick game of Exploding Snap before we have to go down," Parvati pulled out a deck.

"Besides," Ginny grinned, "We are supposed to be fashionably late."

The other girls laughed as they settled into the game.

__

*** Meanwhile, in Harry and Ron's room ***

"Do I look all right to you, Ron?" Harry asked nervously as he stood in his rich auburn coloured dress robes.

Ron frowned at him.

"You are asking the wrong Weasley, my friend."

Draco stepped into the room, wearing a set of tailored dress robes in a smoky charcoal colour.

"Those are new," Ron commented.

Draco shrugged, "What about you…don't remember you wearing those last year."

"The twins seem to think that they are obligated to buy me a new set of dress robes every year," Ron said in a bemused tone as he looked over his burgundy dress robes while Harry tried not to grin.

"Well, they can certainly afford it, their joke shop has done phenomenally well," Draco reflected, "Do you think you'll join them in that venture after you graduate?"

"I've thought about it loads of times but my first career choice has always been an Auror. What about you?"

Draco grinned.

"Would you fall over backwards if I said the same thing? Father would kill me…well, I suppose he has already tried," Draco's voice faltered slightly.

Harry walked over to him and clapped a hand on his shoulder.

"We're going to get you through this, Malfoy,…you've got our word on that. You've proven yourself to us over the last while, especially how you've been helping Percy and Hermione, and we'll stand by you whenever you need us."

Ron nodded with a determined look in his eye as if he half-expected Lucius Malfoy to suddenly jump out of Harry's trunk and wanted to be ready when he did.

Draco smiled.

"You are such a bunch of Gryffindors, you know that?" he laughed.

"Thanks for the compliment," Harry and Ron said in unison before joining in the laughter.

"Care to let me in on the joke?" Percy stepped into their room wearing a rather nice set of black dress robes.

Draco looked at Harry, who looked at Ron, who looked at Draco.

"What?" Percy asked.

"You are not wearing black robes to the Yule Ball," Draco said firmly.

Percy looked somewhat puzzled at the serious expressions of disapproval on the faces of the three younger men.

"Why not? These are very good quality robes…the fabric is imported."

"Black is too…funereal." Ron stated.

"Do you have anything else?" Harry asked.

"Well, I have a new set of blue robes…but…"

Harry, Ron and Draco had grabbed Percy and were walking him back to the common room, out the portrait door and towards the professors' quarters.

"Open it up," Harry directed Percy.

Percy muttered the opening spell quietly and soon found himself sitting on a chair in his room while Draco went into his closet to fish out the new robes which were a deep shade of midnight blue.

"These are really nice, " he commented, "Why would you want to wear the other ones when you have these ones here?"

"Get changed," Ron ordered.

Percy realized he did not have much choice and so, sighing, picked up the robes that Draco was holding. 

_"I'm just being paranoid," he told himself as he walked into his private bathroom, "There is simply no way that anything is going to happen no matter what Severus Snape says."_

When he stepped out a short while later, he still looked unsure of himself.

"Well," he said in a patently false show of sarcasm, "Does this meet with your approval?"

"Much better," Harry nodded.

"Yeah," was Ron's original comment.

"Pity we can't change the colour of your hair so easily," Draco smirked, "Oh come on, I'm not serious. You just look too tense. Lighten up. You look fine."

"Really?" and with that one word, the other three realized just how nervous he was.

Ron walked up to his older brother and gave him a warm smile.

"Really."

Percy smiled at his younger brother, then ruffled his hair affectionately causing Ron to splutter about how long it had taken for him to get his hair just right. Harry just laughed as Ron frantically tried to put his hair to rights again.

_"Ron's pretty lucky to have an older brother like Percy…and Fred and George and Bill and Charlie. Well, I guess I'm pretty lucky he has a younger sister," he thought with a shy grin._

"Come on fellow Gryffindor men. They'll all be waiting in the common room for our grand entrance. Let's dazzle them," Draco grinned as he opened the door with exaggerated flourish.

They hurried past the other professors' doors and made it to the common room in record time. Neville, Dean and Seamus quickly joined them and they talked about quidditch while they waited for the young women to come down.

Parvati came down with Lavender and Harry almost laughed at the expressions on his friends' faces.

"Honestly, you'd think they'd never seen them before," he thought to himself in amusement.

But then Ginny came into the common room and he stopped thinking as well.

Percy stood nervously, wondering when Hermione was going to come in. He checked for his wand...again...and tried not to look as awkward as he felt. 

Some of the younger Gryffindors were looking at him a little strangely, wondering what a professor was doing in the common room on the night of the Yule Ball. It seemed too absurd to think that he had a date…didn't it? Some of the other seventh year women were deliberately trying to catch his eye but to no avail.

_"I hope she's all right," he thought to himself anxiously._

"Here she comes," Draco whispered to Percy.

Percy turned and couldn't help but smile at the vision of loveliness that stood in front of him. She shyly walked up to them and Percy noticed that she had put his gardenias in her hair.

_"By the stars, you are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen," he thought._

"You look nice, Granger," Draco said with a small smile on his face.

"You don't look so bad yourself, Malfoy. Black was never your colour…too funereal," she grinned.

Draco shot Percy a patented 'See, I told you so' look which made Percy chuckle.

"Listen, three is certainly a crowd. I'll catch up with you in the Great Hall. Remember, Granger, you owe me a dance," he said as he headed towards the portrait door.

Percy turned to Hermione.

"You look so lovely," he said quietly.

Hermione smiled at him.

"And you, my dashing professor, look most handsome tonight. I am quite honoured to be your companion for the evening," she said lightly although the expression in her eyes left no doubt as to the depth of what she felt for him.

He reached for her hand discreetly.

"My companion, yes, but not just for this one evening," he whispered meaningfully.

Hermione blushed.

"Now," he said in a louder voice, "we must head down to the Great Hall where I am told a sumptuous feast awaits us. Come along. Last year, Peeves hit all the latecomers with water balloons."

Hermione laughed at the horrifed expressions on the other Gryffindors as they suddenly were scurrying to get out the portrait door.

"You really do have a devious mind, Professor Weasley," she giggled.

"You don't know the half of it," he whispered as he pulled her close to him.

"Whatever do you mean?" she asked in a soft voice as she put her arms around his neck.

"I managed to empty out the common room, didn't I?" he leaned down to kiss her.

__

*** In the Great Hall ***

Professor Lupin was standing by the entrance to the Great Hall watching all the students coming in. He was smiling somewhat as he saw the nervous young men and women, all dressed in their finest robes.

_"It's always the same no matter how much time passes. The women you see everyday suddenly transform themselves into these utterly lovely things and the men, well, we are reduced to rather incoherent lumps," he chuckled._

"I'm glad to see someone is enjoying babysitting duty," Professor Snape said with a rather dark smile.

Professor Lupin grinned.

"Come now, Severus. It has not been that long since we were in their shoes. Don't you remember the last Yule Ball we went to?"

"I remember Sirius putting a spell on the punch…levitated everyone who drank it," despite the surly voice, Professor Snape was smiling at the memory. It had been rather funny to see Lucius Malfoy floating upside down with his robes…well, succumbing to the effects of gravity.

_"Served him right," he thought to himself angrily, "Pity he did not land on his head."_

Professor Lupin looked pensive.

"Something the matter, Remus?"

"It's a funny thing, Severus. Not a lot of time has passed. Not really. But so much has happened in the last couple of years that it seems like those last few days at Hogwarts took place ages ago."

Professor Snape looked at him in sympathy.

"You have had a hard time of it. I know I did not help much…especially…"

Professor Lupin turned to him quickly…

"I will not have you feeling sorry for yourself, Severus. I know you do that far too much…it doesn't take my heightened senses to notice that you feel guilt for what happened to them. It wouldn't take anyone much to realize what you wouldn't give to have them back. You can't continue to live your life in the past, my friend. There is too much at stake. The past is done. The future is what we fight for now."

Professor Snape looked at his colleague and sighed, shaking his head.

"I hate it when you are right."

Professor Lupin laughed and patted his colleague on the should in a congenial way, "You always did, Severus."

Professor Snape chuckled.

"Look. There are Harry and Ginny."

Professor Snape looked to where Professor Lupin was pointing.

"He looks more and more like his father everyday."

"You do not say that with the same bitterness anymore."

"No, I suppose not."

"Did James ever know?"

Professor Snape sighed.

"I never had the chance to tell him…that's the worst of it. That is what has haunted me all these years. For the first few years that Harry was here, I could not even look at him without seeing James and it made me ill. I know I lashed out at the boy. I know I was merciless. I just did not know how else to react…I hated seeing him because it reminded me why I hated myself so much."

"I wish you had trusted me sooner."

"As do I, Remus."

Professor Lupin decided to change the subject.

"Severus, where is Percy? I haven't seen him come in yet."

"I am sure he is coming."

"There he is. Who is that with him?" Professor Lupin stared at the lovely young woman on the professor's arm. He was not the only one staring. 

Professor Snape looked at Hermione and smiled.

"That, my dear Remus, is Miss Hermione Granger."

"With her hair like that and the flowers in her hair, I almost thought she looked like someone I once knew…a long time ago."

Professor Snape turned to him suddenly with a sudden flash in his eyes.

"Like whom?" he asked abruptly.

Professor Lupin was taken aback.

"I'm not sure. I can't seem to remember the name."

Professor Snape relaxed somewhat.

"I'm sorry, Remus. I'm just worried. Have all the safeguards been put in place?"

"Yes. I double-checked them myself."

"Well, let's go sit down. Dumbledore is waving us over and I feel like I could eat a Hippogriff."

Professor Lupin laughed as they headed over to the professors' table

*****

Instead of sitting at the head table with the other professors, Percy had arranged to sit at one of the Gryffindor tables. Harry and Ginny and Ron and Lavender joined them. The Great Hall was simply lovely, decorated to look like a magical underwater kingdom. Everywhere you looked you could see beautiful castles made of multicoloured sand. The enchanted ceiling looked like the ocean with fluorescent fish swimming through the air, casting rippling lights on the diners below. It truly was a spectacular sight.

Percy smiled as he watched Hermione eating her meal. She was the most beautiful woman in the room tonight but it had not been her beauty that had attracted him. No, there was so much more to her that he found so appealing. She was brave. She was loyal. She was hard-working. She was intelligent and she had talent when it came to magic. In fact, for someone who was muggle-born, her level of magicking ability was truly astounding. She was a credit to her family but, he thought soberly, it was her talent that had made her a target. Severus had told him what he had overheard one night in the old abandoned house they knew Voldemort was using as one of his bases. Since then, they had been keeping a close eye on her. 

_"I will not let anything happen to her," he thought decisively._

"You okay, Percy?" Ron asked.

"I'm fine. Why?"

"You speared that potato as if it were You-Know-Who himself," his younger brother grinned.

Hermione looked at Percy in understanding and placed her hand over his as if to assure him that everything would be fine.

_"I hope you are right," he thought to himself._

*****

Draco was sitting at a table with Neville and Parvati, Dean and Seamus and their dates from Ravenclaw (very pretty girls in his opinion). At first, he felt a bit awkward because he felt like the lone man out but the others made a sincere effort in involving him in the conversation and he greatly appreciated that. He found himself talking to Dean and his date about muggle football and greatly enjoyed hearing Seamus talking about his family. Even Neville was talking to him without cringing in fear.

_"Poor fellow," he thought in sudden remorse, remembering how his father had told him what had happened to Neville's parents so many years ago…remembering how the older Malfoy gloated over it as if it were something to be proud of…_

He listened to Seamus' date talk about her travels to Egypt which reminded him of that encounter with Granger…Hermione in the Gryffindor common room. She had been working on an essay about ancient Egyptian wizards or something like that. He looked over to the table where she was sitting.

_"She does not realize just how beautiful she is," he thought to himself._

He noticed that Percy looked somewhat pensive and then saw how Hermione gently placed her hand over Percy's. He looked away quickly and tried to focus instead on the conversation at hand.

_"Well, at least she promised me a dance," he thought with a small smile._

*****

"Ladies and gentlemen, if I could have but a moment of your time."

The meal had ended and Dumbledore had stood up to address everyone.

"I hope that you have all enjoyed your meal. My compliments to all the chefs involved in preparing such a gastronomical paradise. The tables will now clear and the dancing will begin. Please enjoy the rest of the evening. There will be refreshment stands set up in the main lobby just outside the Great Hall if you wish to obtain something to drink."

The music started and, as Hermione stood up, she felt Percy's arm go around her waist.

"May I have this dance?" he asked shyly.

She nodded and they made their way to the dance floor where they started swaying to the music together. They were quickly joined by Ron and Lavender as well as Harry and Ginny and many other couples.

_"I don't think I have ever seen Percy so…happy before. Thank goodness the twins aren't here," Ron thought to himself as he held Lavender close to him._

Harry was looking at Hermione and smiling.

"They do make a sweet couple, don't they?" Ginny asked with shining eyes, "I never would have predicted it but now…"

"Now you're wondering why you never saw it coming?" Harry asked with a smile.

"It's definitely marriage for you two, Potter," Ron said with a knowing smirk.

"What?" Harry asked with a slight pinkness staining his cheeks.

"You're already finishing each others' sentences."

Harry and Ginny looked at each other and smiled.

*****

"Remus, where have you been?"

"Calm yourself, Severus, I just met with Padfoot and he tells me he has not seen any sign of Peter in the area."

Professor Snape relaxed somewhat. If anyone were on Hogwarts property, Sirius Black would certainly have known about it.

"We should have asked Harry for your map," he said quietly.

"Now, Severus, we don't want to panic the boy. We are not even sure if anything is going to happen tonight."

"I will bet all the gold in my vault at Gringotts that something will transpire tonight. I have no idea how with all the safeguards we have put up but my thumbs are pricking and…well, "it" is hurting somewhat tonight."

Professor Lupin's face immediately saddened.

"Is it a summons?" he asked gently.

"No…it is simply to alert us…but as to what is anyone's guess."

"Well, since the safeguards are intact and since Padfoot is out there patrolling the grounds, I think we can relax a little. I am going to ask Minerva to dance. I suggest you do the same."

Professor Snape laughed, "As capable as she is, I think she would find it difficult to dance with two partners."

"You know perfectly well what I meant. I'll meet you at the main entrance in about twenty minutes to check the perimeter spells."

And so Professor Lupin went off in search of his dance partner.

"Hello, Professor Snape," a voice suddenly broke his train of thought. Turning around, he saw Hermione standing in front of him.

"Good evening, Miss Granger. You look lovely."

She smiled at the compliment.

"Thank you."

"Where is Professor Weasley?"

"He is having a dance with his sister."

He looked out onto the dance floor and, yes, there were the two distinctive heads of red hair dancing together.

"It's strange to think that, after Miss Weasley graduates, there will be no more Weasleys at Hogwarts."

"Well, I wouldn't say that," she said casually and then, realizing what she had just said and how it might be interpreted, blushed furiously, "That's not what I meant."

"There is no need to apologize and I do agree with you although it will be several years before that happens."

Hermione looked relieved. Another piece of music had started and she noticed that Ginny and Percy were still dancing and she smiled.

"Well, Professor, it looks as though they are going to be dancing to this one as well. Would you like to dance with me? This is a particularly nice piece and I would hate to waste it by sitting out."

If it were possible for Professor Snape to look even more pale than usual, he did.

"You want to dance with me?" he asked incredulously.

"Why not?"

He looked at her with that strange expression she found so puzzling.

"I haven't danced since…well, not for a very long time," he said awkwardly.

"It's like riding a broomstick. Once you learn, you never forget," she placed her hand on his arm and they walked towards the dance floor.

Feeling as if all eyes were on him, he put one arm around her waist and brought her slightly closer to him. He took her free hand and they began to move to the music together.

_"Why…he's a very good dancer," Hermione thought to herself in shock._

The two of them moved together flawlessly and Professor Snape expertly negotiated around the other couples. Hermione found herself enjoying the dance, much to her surprise. She was almost sad when it was over.

"You give yourself far too little credit, Professor. You really are quite an accomplished dancer," Hermione said with a smile as Percy came to join them.

"Thank you, Miss Granger. Dancing is always easier when one has a lovely partner. But, I think I should find another before Professor Weasley becomes jealous."

"Yes, I suppose you must," Hermione answered with a sparkle in her eye.

Professor Snape walked out of the Great Hall in somewhat better spirits. Professor Lupin came up to him.

"Are you all right, Severus?" he asked.

"Certainly. Why wouldn't I be?"

"I was watching you dancing and…it triggered something and I remembered who Hermione reminded me of and…well, I was a little worried."

Professor Snape looked at his colleague with kindness.

"I am fine but thank you all the same for being concerned. Now, let's go check those perimeter spells."

*****

Hermione was enjoying her evening so far. She had danced a rather lively dance with Ron and a somewhat more sedate one with Harry but, other than the one dance with Professor Snape, she spent the time exactly where she wanted to be, with Percy.

_"I wish tonight would never end," she thought to herself._

"Are you enjoying yourself tonight?" Percy asked her.

"Very much."

"I am too. What are your plans over the Christmas break?"

"I don't have any. I am going home over the holidays but I haven't set up anything specific. How about you?"

"I am going home as well. Actually, I was thinking that we might get together over the holidays. Mother wants to invite your family over for Christmas dinner…she's been meaning to for the last couple of years. I think Harry will be coming as well…he doesn't really have much choice in the matter."

"That would be lovely," Hermione said with genuine happiness.

The music ended and another one started up. Percy noticed Dumbledore motioning for him to come over to where he was standing with Professors Snape and Lupin.

"Hermione, Dumbledore is calling me. I'll be back as soon as I can."

Hermione smiled at him.

"Don't worry about me…I'm not running off anywhere. Besides, I have a promise to keep."

Percy gave her hand an affectionate squeeze and then walked away quickly. Hermione scanned the room until she saw who she was looking for. She walked up to the silver-haired youth, who was chatting amicably with Neville, Parvati and Padma. 

"I owe you a dance, don't I?" she asked innocently, pretending to consult a parchment.

He laughed.

"That's not very sporting, Granger."

She smiled at him and he held out his hand.

"Shall we?" he asked.

"Absolutely," she answered with a grin.

Hermione had to admit that Draco was a very good dancer as they whirled around the room together. He held her comfortably close but didn't say anything. She didn't either. It was not an uncomfortable silence in the least. It just seemed that words were unnecessary. 

Draco was very aware of the scent of gardenias in her hair, of the closeness of her body and the artless way she turned her head to reveal the beautiful lines of her neck. When she looked at him, her eyes sparkled…but only with friendship. She was not his. She never would be.

When the dance ended, Draco released Hermione somewhat reluctantly and his expression was wistful. The reason for that suddenly hit Hermione and she felt a pang of sympathy in her heart. Touching his cheek gently, she searched for something to say.

"You don't need to say anything, Hermione," he said quietly, "Being your friend is more than I expected to be."

She smiled slightly through shining eyes.

"I'll always be your friend, Draco. You can count on that."

Draco nodded.

"You had better go with Percy. He's waiting for you."

Hermione turned to where Percy stood, waiting patiently.

"Take care of yourself," she said as she walked away.

Draco watched her retreating form pensively for a moment. He had felt something while dancing with Hermione and it had nothing to do with his feelings for her. He had felt something…evil.

_"I'll be fine, Hermione,…it's you I'm worried about right now," he thought to himself as he hurried over to where Professor Snape was talking with Professor Lupin._

Percy watched Hermione as she came over to where he was standing. 

"I thought you might like to take a little walk with me," he offered her his arm.

"And where are we going?" she asked, taking his arm and following him out of the Great Hall.

"Just a quiet little spot I know," he said mysteriously.

They walked out of the Great Hall and they chatted about a number of things while Percy took her up one corridor and down another, passing statues and portraits alike. They finally reached a plain-looking doorway which was covered by a rather ragged curtain. Percy went up to the curtain and drew out his wand. He tapped the curtain three times and said a few words softly. The curtain rose by itself, revealing a small room within.

Taking her hand, Percy brought Hermione into the room. It was rather plain with a table, a few chairs and a number of bookcases filled with old textbooks. There were torches on the walls which had sprung to life as soon as they had entered the room. In one corner was a music stand, a small stool and a somewhat decrepit looking violin.

"I don't mean to sound rude, Percy, but what is so special about this room?"

Percy smiled and went over to another door. He opened it.

"Out here," was all he said.

Hermione stepped through the door and gasped. They were standing on a balcony somewhere on the upper floors of Hogwarts. From here she could see the entire grounds, the Forbidden Forest and the lake. The sky was clear but dark as it was the night of the new moon. The numerous fairy lights on the property rivaled the twinkling of the stars in the sky. In fact, one could almost fail to distinguish where the sky ended and the ground began. It was a lovely sight.

A gust of cool air blew by her and she shivered slightly. Her dress robes were very nice but they were not particularly warm.

"Cold?" Hermione felt warm arms encircle her waist from behind and she smiled.

"This is such a beautiful spot, Percy. How did you find it?"

Percy laughed.

"Fred and George are not the only ones who explored Hogwarts in their spare time."

Hermione smiled.

"I learn something new about you every day it seems."

"I have a surprise for you. You have to close your eyes."

Hermione pouted.

"Please?"

Hermione grinned and closed her eyes tightly.

"No peeking?"

She shook her head, still grinning.

Percy reached into a pocket of his robes and pulled out a small silver box, intricately carved and quite beautiful. He opened the box

"You can open your eyes now."

Hermione opened her eyes and saw Percy shyly holding out an open silver box with a ring inside it. The ring was made of silver and had a small gardenia, also crafted in silver, as its only ornament. He took the ring out of its box and, taking her right hand, placed it on her finger. When he looked up at her again, her eyes were misted with tears…happy tears.

"It's what the muggles call a promise ring. It's my promise to you that I will always love you and always be there when you need me."

Hermione could not say anything so she took Percy's face in both her hands and kissed him. Percy embraced her tightly and returned the kiss with a passion that surprised them both. The young couple stood there, in the dark of the night, silently declaring their love for one another in a way that words could never hope to express.

The sound of a nearby grandfather clock started booming and they reluctantly parted.

"It's midnight. Perhaps we should head back" Hermione said hesitantly.

Percy kissed her on the cheek.

"I would like nothing better than to stay out here with you and watch the sunrise together but I suppose you are right."

"Thank you, Percy. This ring is the most precious gift I have ever received."

Percy smiled and went over to the door, opened it and held it for her.

"What a perfect night," she thought to herself happily.

As they entered the room, the grandfather clock boomed one last time before retreating in silence. The room was still vibrating slightly from the sound. Then the room was vibrating from something else…something dark and sinister…

Percy suddenly grabbed Hermione and, pulling her, ran for the curtain to lead them back to the hallway. It wouldn't move. He pulled out his wand to perform an opening charm. It didn't work.

"Percy? What's happening?" Hermione's voice trembled slightly as she looked around her and pulled out her wand, going through her arsenal of spells in her mind.

"I don't know. Stand back, I'm going to try to break through the barrier."

Suddenly they heard a sound that made their blood ran cold. It was the sound of a violin being played, a horrid scratchy sound that immediately made the hairs on the back of their necks stand up. They looked at each other and slowly turned to face the musician. Percy pulled Hermione to him when he saw who it was.

"My dear Professor," the voice hissed, "I would not bother trying to escape."

Hermione watched with horror as the dark shape stood up and calmly returned the instrument to its resting place. As it stepped out of the shadows, she realized that she was looking at Voldemort. Her mind whirled in panic and she almost cried out in pain for how tightly Percy was holding her.

"Well, well, my dear Mudblood," Voldemort chuckled, an evil light dancing in his snakelike eyes, "it would appear that, much like the muggle fairy tale of Cinderella, the clock has struck twelve and your time has run out."

A/N: Yes, this was a long chapter but I was having so much fun. I hope you enjoyed it. Next one should be up in about a week (unless I start having way too much fun again!).

A/N2: Many thanks to my ffnet friends for helping me out in my moment of crisis…you know who you are and you know what I mean. 


	14. Paradox and Pain

Chapter Fourteen **__**

Disclaimer: Anything you recognize belongs to the goddess, JKR. Many thanks to my reviewers for being so nice. Special thanks to my fellow Marauders (that now includes you, Zoe) for making the downtime so enjoyable. Constructive reviews are cherished. Flamers will get to listen to a few hours' worth of poetry recitations by none other than Crabbe and Goyle (now there's a scary thought).

****

Paradox and Pain

"This isn't happening. I'm dreaming. This can't be real," Hermione was thinking to herself again and again as she looked at the cold and heartless face in front of her. Percy was holding her so tightly that she was finding it difficult to breathe.

"You do not look too pleased to see me, Mudblood," Voldemort's cold voice cut through the panicked silence.

He took a deliberate step towards her. Percy reacted by pulling her behind him, wand out, trying to somehow shield her.

"Come now, Professor Weasley, you don't really think I will harm her, do you?"

Percy stood his ground, looked Voldemort straight in the eye and did not waver.

"I'm warning you…I'm authorized to use the Unforgiveable Curses…I will use them if you try to take her," he said with a determined look in his eyes.

Voldemort laughed and the sound of it was like breaking glass.

"What a coincidence. I am authorized to use the Unforgiveable Curses as well…but I think you already knew that," he said, negligently tracing the sign of a lightning bolt in the air with the tip of his wand.

Hermione felt as if her stomach dropped to the floor. From behind Percy, she was still pointing her wand at the Dark Lord but she questioned what she could hope to accomplish. She felt like she was hiding and she did not like that but she could not move…Percy's grip was too strong.

"What do you want with me, Voldemort?" she asked in a voice that did not bother to hide her hatred for him.

An evil smile snaked its way across Voldemort's face and he shook his head in mock disbelief.

"Tsk Tsk, where are your manners? Is that any way to talk to someone who went through so much…effort…to find you?"

Hermione could feel Percy shudder involuntarily.

"You haven't answered my question," she spoke through clenched teeth.

"Neither have you," he pointed out with thick sarcasm.

__

"I have to get him talking…delay him…maybe Remus or Severus will notice we're gone," Percy thought wildly. He did not, for a moment, think that any of the spells he knew would have the least effect on Voldemort. He had to try something other than a full-out attack…that was just suicidal.

"How did you get in here?" Percy tried to keep the determination in his voice, as if these were necessary pleasantries before he blasted Voldemort into countless pieces.

Voldemort seemed delighted with the question.

"Ah, now I am glad you asked me that, Professor Weasley. Yes, it is the sort of thing you would want to know, isn't it? You teach History of Magic, do you not? Well, I am sure what I am about to tell you is not written in any textbook you ever read," he sneered at Percy as if his choice of reading material left much to be desired.

"Professor Lupin and…" Hermione suddenly remembered not to mention Professor Snape in his true role, "…Headmaster Dumbledore put safeguards all around Hogwarts. There are perimeter spells everywhere aside from the normal protection spells. You being here is…" 

"Impossible?" Voldemort smirked as he sat down on a nearby chair, still pointing his wand carelessly at the young couple, "That, I believe is an excellent example of paradox, don't you agree?"

Percy and Hermione said nothing.

"I see you would rather listen to what I have to tell you. Well, it is true, I should not be here at all. Hogwarts is a most protected place…more safeguards and spells here than anywhere else I can think of. That old fool thinks he thought of everything to protect his students but he forgot one thing…an old bit of Dark Magic that no one really likes to talk about."

Percy was getting annoyed.

"Is there a point to this useless rambling?" he asked acidly.

Voldemort smirked.

"I could kill you right now, Professor Weasley, if I so chose," he actually smiled at the horrified expression on Hermione's face and her sudden clutching at Percy's arm, "But I have not finished my story and I so hate…unfinished business."

__

"Come on, Remus…where the hell are you?" Percy thought to himself, trying desperately to think of something…anything.

"Have you ever heard of the Mortis spell, Professor Weasley?"

Percy looked blank.

"Have you ever heard of the Mortis spell, Mudblood?"

Hermione practically spat at him, "My name is Hermione!"

"Such spirit for one so young. I can see why he desires you. No matter. You are not his to have any longer. The Mortis spell, dear children, is a piece of Dark Magic that is so old that no one, other than myself, knew that it existed at all. One of those spells that gets lost in the so-called mists of time."

"What is this Mortis spell?" Percy asked, hoping to delay him further.

"A most frightening piece of magic, my dear Professor. Not nice at all. The sort of thing that someone like yourself would have nightmares over. It involves the voluntary suicide of a devoted follower. As you know, the spirit of a dead person does not leave this plane of existence right away. There is a…how do the muggles put it…a window of opportunity where they are free to wander the earth. The Mortis spell binds a person to this spirit…and enables them, among other things, to pass through any safeguard or perimeter spell. There is a time limitation and we did have to use a preliminary locating spell to find you in order to save a few minutes." 

"You mean someone committed suicide so you could hitch a ride to Hogwarts?" Hermione was absolutely stunned and a sudden wave of nausea left her somewhat unsteady.

Voldemort nodded, "In a manner of speaking, yes."

"Who would do such a stupid thing as that?" Percy snapped, trying desperately to keep from falling to his knees in horror.

Voldemort came closer to Percy.

"There are many who join my company willingly and some who require…persuasion. I can be most persuasive, dear Professor."

"I have no doubt of that," Percy replied, moving both himself and Hermione further along the wall, further away from Voldemort, "Too bad it could not have been Lucius Malfoy or Peter Pettigrew or another of your more willing companions."

The Dark Lord merely brushed a piece of lint from his black cloak.

__

"Maybe if I can get to the balcony I can summon a broom and get us somewhere," he thought quickly, "Or I could send up sparks as a warning. I just wish I knew what was taking Severus and Remus so long. Even Sirius should have noticed something by now."

Voldemort's eyes flashed wickedly and he smiled in a way that made Hermione's heart race even faster. It was the smile of someone who knew they were going to inflict great pain on someone…and was going to enjoy it…

"Pettigrew and Malfoy still have a purpose to serve so it would be unwise to lose their…services at such a crucial juncture. However, you will be delighted to know that Miss Clearwater did ask me to pass along a message to you before she stabbed herself. What was it? Oh yes, she was sorry that she did not kill you when she had the chance."

Percy lowered his wand in complete disbelief. Hermione was left stunned.

"I don't believe you," Percy muttered hoarsely.

__

"Please let him be lying," Hermione thought to herself.

"You don't have to believe me…I won't be offended."

"I don't believe you…she would not sell herself to you."

"Percy…" Hermione was clutching at his arm, trying to bring him back from the dangerous waters he was treading on.

"Sell herself? She was hardly that valuable really. No, she offered to prove her loyalty to me and she did and she will always hold a special place in my thoughts."

Hermione could feel Percy's increasing unsteadiness on his feet.

"Percy," she suddenly spoke up, "She didn't deserve you…don't let yourself get caught up in these mind games. Voldemort is trying to distract us."

But Percy was not responding.

"You know you must come with me now," Voldemort turned to face Hermione.

"I will never go with you!" she screamed.

"You will or your paramour will certainly perish," Voldemort pointed his wand directly at Percy's heart.

Something in Percy snapped.

"You can't have her! I won't let you take her!" he shouted as he lunged at the dark figure, letting go of Hermione….

"Expelliarmus!" Voldemort shouted. Percy was thrown backward and hit the wall hard. He slumped to the ground, blood oozing from a cut on the side of his head. Hermione rushed over to him. He waved her off and, although he was momentarily dazed, he quickly got back on his feet, wand ready. He opened his mouth to recite a spell…

"Crucio," Voldemort said quietly.

Percy had never known there could be pain like this…like dying while living. He screamed as he felt a thousand white-hot knives seemingly flay the living flesh from his bones. He fell to the ground in agony as he felt every pore in his skin explode and every bone in his body seem to break. Some part of him was telling him to get up but his body would not cooperate. He just felt the pain. There was nothing but the pain.

Hermione could not get near Percy as he lay thrashing on the floor. She felt like crying as she saw the sheer look of torture on his face. There was nothing she could do…no counter-spell that could stop this madness. She felt nauseated and completely useless.

And Voldemort just stood there watching…waiting…

And then she realized what he was waiting for and her blood turned ice cold. Then she took a deep breath and turned to Voldemort who was watching her with some interest…like a spider looking at a particularly tasty fly.

"I will go with you if you release him," she said quietly with tears in her eyes.

"No, Hermione…" Percy's voice sounded muffled, as if the strain of talking was almost too much for him.

"Release him and I will go with you," she repeated.

"Hermione…please…"

"I said release him now!" she shouted.

Voldemort smiled.

"Finite Incantetum," he said casually.

Percy immediately stopped thrashing and simply sat there on the floor, twitching occasionally. He turned his eyes to Hermione and she saw an expression that was somewhere beyond panic.

"No," he said weakly, his body still in shock from the Cruciatus curse.

Hermione looked at him and felt as if someone had put hot coals in her heart.

"I have no choice, Percy. He'll kill you if I don't go with him."

"She's right, you know," Voldemort interrupted, "Come, my dear, my time grows short and Miss Clearwater has an appointment with the hereafter."

Percy grabbed Hermione's hand. He looked up at her…at her eyes that were full of tears and an expression of utter dread and bitter resignation.

"I would rather…"

"Don't say it," she covered his mouth with her hand.

"I'll find you."

A thin smile appeared on her face.

"I'm counting on it."

Percy released her hand and watched as she walked over to Voldemort.

"Goodbye, Professor Weasley," he said as he swooped his cloak over Hermione and they both disappeared.

Percy stared at the empty space where they had been and clenched his fists in complete frustration. He felt a sharp pain in one hand and, upon opening it, discovered the ring he had given to Hermione. He stared at it for a moment, unbelieving, and then he did something he could not ever remember doing before…

…he cried.

__

***Outside Hogwarts Castle***

Sirius Black probably knew the layout of the Hogwarts grounds better than anyone else…with the possible exception of Hagrid and the Weasley twins. In his animagus form, he was able to see things, hear things and smell things that he would otherwise miss in his human form. As he patrolled the outside of the castle, he checked each perimeter spell, each safeguard to ensure that it was functioning as it should.

"Snape has made me paranoid," he thought to himself in exasperation.

It still struck him as odd that he and his former foe had been working together these past couple of years. As he checked a Dark Magic detection spell cleverly hidden in a statue of a hamadryard, he remembered the event, which had unexpectedly changed his feelings towards the enigmatic Potions Master

__

***Flashback***

"What the hell do you think you're doing here?" Sirius gasped as Severus' head popped through the trapdoor of the holding cell.

Severus glared at him.

"I am trying to save your ungrateful and undeserving carcass, you fool."

Sirius looked shocked, then distrustful.

"Why?"

"By Merlin's beard, you are the most annoying man on the face of the earth, Sirius Black. Dumbledore sent me…he got a message from Remus that you had been captured."

"Took your time getting here, I imagine," Sirius said bitterly.

Severus looked as if he was ready to throw something…preferably large and very heavy directly at Sirius' head.

"You do realize that I cannot just walk up to the Dark Lord and ask him where you are? He would suspect me immediately and then what use would I be to Dumbledore?"

"I'd like to know what use you are to him now," Sirius muttered under his breath. Luckily, Severus did not hear him.

"I have a potion which, when you change into your Animagus form, will render you stronger…strong enough to break out of here. The potion does not last long and leaves no magical tracer so you will have to hurry."

Severus held out a small vial with a silver stopper. Sirius took it in his hand and looked at it warily.

"You take a sip first."

"I cannot as I am not an Animagus," Severus said, with a rather crestfallen look.

"I guess Transfiguration was never your strongest subject," Sirius grimaced as he opened the vial and smelled the contents, "Ugh, smells like you put essence of Troll in here."

"And you thought you knew nothing about Potions," Severus smirked as Sirius blanched in revulsion, "Wait about five minutes after I have left then take the potion. I have already given the guards some spiked mead that hides a particularly effective memory charm. They will think they got drunk and let you out themselves. Meet me at the bend in the river…I have brooms ready."

The plan had worked perfectly and Sirius quickly joined Severus, who was standing rather impatiently holding two brooms.

"I see my Potion worked," Severus remarked casually.

"Like a charm," Sirius grinned suddenly.

"I suppose Flitwick would appreciate the humour of that."

The two men mounted their brooms and took off in the direction of Hogwarts. They skimmed along the countryside in silence. Sirius was wrestling with his feelings. Severus had just saved his life…despite…despite everything. He had certainly taken no pains to be particularly friendly about it but he had saved his life and risked his own in the bargain. He looked at his dark companion and was surprised to see an expression of sadness there.

"Thanks," Sirius finally said.

Severus pulled up short on his broom and Sirius followed suit. They both just sat there on their brooms looking at one another.

"There is nothing to thank," Severus said quietly.

"Listen, I said it and I meant it. I owe you my life."

"Yes, I suppose you are in my debt. Strange, isn't it? You once almost killed me and yet I saved your life."

Sirius sighed heavily…that episode in their lives seemed like it had taken place eons before…in an almost imaginary time when James and Lily were still alive.

"Should I even ask why you did it or will you simply say that it was Dumbledore who told you to do it?"

"That is entirely up to you."

"You really are insufferable."

"You are being kind…I recall you saying much more colourful things about me when we were students at Hogwarts."

"I admit I made a few mistakes."

"Only a few?"

Sirius exploded in anger.

"Do you think this is easy for me? Do you think that I like the fact that I now owe my life to someone with whom I have never gotten along particularly well? Do you think I like this feeling of obligation to you of all people?" he screamed in rage.

Severus did not get angry. He barely changed countenance. He moved his broom closer to Sirius and looked him straight in the eyes. Sirius was astounded to see an expression of regret and guilt cross his face.

"Unfortunately, I know exactly how that feels. Let's just hope that I stay alive long enough for you to clear that debt. Even I would not wish you to live the balance of your life as I have."

Severus looked away quickly and motioned his broom to start moving again. Sirius, after he had gotten over his initial shock, followed him and soon caught up.

"I'm sorry, Snape…for everything," he didn't know what else to say.

Severus sighed deeply.

"So much has changed and there are so few of us left," the Potions Master said quietly, as if to himself, "I'm sorry too, Black…more than you can imagine."

*** End Flashback ***

Sirius shook his head. They were on the same side now, just as Dumbledore had said and they had managed to put aside their differences. It had been difficult and he suspected that Remus was closer to being Snape's friend than he was but he was trying and he knew that the effort was mutual.

"I wonder what James would have thought about this?" he wondered as he padded softly around the grounds.

Suddenly, his dog senses started tingling. He sensed something…was it Dark Magic?

"It has the stench of death," he thought in horror. He took off at full speed and reached the entrance closest to the Great Hall. Remus and Severus were there, checking one of the perimeter spells. He raced up to them and immediately changed into his human form.

Severus blanched when he saw Black's expression.

"What is it?"

"I don't know. Something is wrong but none of the spells have gone off. We need to find Hermione and Percy right away."

Remus furled his brow, "Percy took Hermione somewhere but I don't know where…"

  
"The Marauders' Map, Remus," Severus snapped at his colleague, "Where is it?"

Remus looked at Severus in surprise…the normally calm man was absolutely frantic.

"I would imagine that it is in Harry's room…"

"Then let's go quickly," Severus raced forward in such haste that it took several seconds for the other two men to catch up.

"Butterbeer!" Remus shouted as they approached the portrait door. They quickly scrambled through and raced to the entrance to the boys' dormitories. Opening the door to the room Harry shared with Ron, Draco and Neville, Severus quickly looked around in case Percy and Hermione were there.

"Accio, Marauders Map!" Severus yelled as the parchment flew to his hands. Sirius quickly brought the map to life. 

"Thank goodness, it did not say anything nasty about Snape…he would probably set it on fire for how upset he is," Sirius thought in anxiety.

They pored over it quickly and what they saw made their hearts freeze.

Percy was in the old music room….and he was alone.

"Damn!" Severus yelled as he dropped the map on the floor and raced out of the dormitory.

The three of them retraced their steps and made their way quickly to the ragged curtain. Severus noticed immediately that the locking spell had been destroyed by something powerful and swore under his breath as he pushed the curtain aside and stepped into the room ahead of the others.

"By Merlin's ghost…Percy!" he rushed over to where the younger man sat crying, his body twitching uncontrollably. 

"He looks as if he has been hit with the Cruciatus Curse, Severus," Remus immediately took out some chocolate and handed it to Severus. Severus sat down next to Percy who had not noticed that anyone had entered the room. Sirius looked around the room and stepped out onto the balcony, looking for something that would tell him where Hermione had gone.

"Percy, take this," Severus held out the chocolate. He flinched when Percy turned to him. That look in his eyes, that expression of pain and loss…it was all too familiar…

"He took her," Percy said in a voice that sounded like that of a child.

"Take the chocolate…then you can tell us what happened," Remus said gently.

"I can't find any clue about where she might have gone and with whom," Sirius came back into the room looking frustrated and very apprehensive.

Percy ate the chocolate quietly. Although it warmed him and helped to stop the uncontrollable twitching of his body, it did not ease the anxiety he felt.

The sudden sound of footsteps made Severus turn his head. Harry, Ron and Draco ran into the room.

"How on earth…" Sirius yelled.

Harry held out the Marauders Map, "What happened?"

"Where's Hermione?" Draco asked, looking around the room.

Ron did not say anything, he walked over to where his brother sat with Severus and kneeled down.

"We'll find her, Perce," he said firmly.

Percy looked up at his younger brother in gratitude.

"Voldemort used the Mortis Spell to gain access to Hogwarts," he said tiredly.

He proceeded to explain to them everything that had happened and the details of the spell which had allowed Voldemort to accomplish something they had thought impossible.

Sirius swore under his breath. Remus looked as if he was carefully considering something. Severus looked as if he was going to throw up. Ron, Harry and Draco simply looked horrified at what Percy was telling them.

"What are we going to do?" Ron asked.

"Where did they take her?" Draco wondered aloud as he paced the room angrily.

Harry saw the ring in Percy's hand.

"Percy, what is that?" he asked suddenly.

Percy looked up at Harry and then down at the ring. He sighed heavily and tried to stand up, with help from Ron and Severus.

"This was the promise ring I gave to Hermione," he said quietly through the lump that was rapidly forming in his throat.

Sirius' eyes lit up for a moment.

"May I have that, Percy? I want to try something."

Percy reluctantly handed over the little treasure to Sirius.

Severus pulled out a small flagon from his robe pocket and handed it to Percy.

"Drink it. It will ease the fatigue and help your body recover from the Curse," he said to the younger man. Without hesitation, Percy downed the contents.

"Thank you," he said, giving the now-empty flagon back to Severus.

"What are you going to do, Sirius?" Draco asked as Sirius began to wave his wand over the ring, which glinted in the palm of his hand.

"I am going to try a little spell that Mad-Eye taught me a long time ago. It's a special spell, used by Aurors when they were trying to find wizards kidnapped by the Death Eaters."

They all watched as Sirius held the tiny object in his hand and waved his wand over it in a clockwise motion. He was muttering something over and over again.

__

"This isn't going to work," Percy thought in despair.

Then, as if in answer to his doubts, the ring began to glow and a white light surrounded it. The white light grew bigger and bigger until it formed a cloud over the ring. Images began to swirl inside the cloud but slowly came into focus. They saw a house, rather old and with a number of broken windows…

"It's the house by the old mill!" Severus shouted, "I know where it is! We can apparate there immediately."

"You can't apparate or disapparate on Hogwarts grounds," Ron mumbled.

Harry looked at his best friend in surprise. Ron had a sad smile on his face.

"Well, somebody had to say it for her," he murmured.

  
Remus put a restraining hand on Severus' shoulders.

"Severus, we cannot just rush in there blindly. We need a plan," he said firmly.

"We have to get her back," Percy was now feeling much stronger and standing without assistance.

There was silence for a few moments and then…

"I have an idea."

It was Draco.

__

A/N: Chapter Fifteen should be out in about a week or so

A/N2: Special thanks to the following Marauders

  * Wm_law2003 for just being a great person to chat with and for beta-reading not to mention putting up with all my questions about the fanfic world 
  * Tessie for being very supportive and for letting a lot of other people know about my stories not to mention being another great beta-reader 
  * Ron, for your advice and for being the first of our group of Marauders 
  * Giulia, per tutto…spero che hai passato delle vacanza favolose e che scrivi qualcosa presto!! 
  * Lady Dark Mark, Slytherinette, Danielle, Joycie, Susie, Silver Ray and sexyme for always being so positive 
  * Princess Potter for some great ideas (e.g. the ring) and for making my workdays more enjoyable (you're forgiven the heart attack incident ::evil grin::) 
  * Valancy…who I hope gets hit with the inspiration bug soon ::grins::

A/N3: Just so that you know…I will not be posting anything for "Hour of Grace" until this story is finished. 


	15. Seduction of the Innocent

Disclaimer: Anything you recognize belongs to the goddess, JKR **__**

Disclaimer: Anything you recognize belongs to the goddess, JKR. Many thanks to my reviewers for giving me that warm and fuzzy feeling about my story. I hope you like this chapter. I think it is dark and disturbing. Let me know what you think. Constructive reviews are cherished. Flamers will get to baby-sit Fluffy while I go on a date with Severus (don't wait up ::grin::). White chocolate macadamia nut cookies to all my fellow Marauders, especially Tessie who graciously beta-read this chapter. If you like, you can go visit the Draco's Secret Yahoo Group, which features some wonderful stories by Tessie, wm_law2003 and a few of mine as well. The URL is [http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Dracos_Secret][1]

__ ****

Chapter Fifteen: Seduction of the Innocent

Hermione had never felt so empty before. Voldemort did not say anything, just placed an arm on her shoulder…a contact as light as the brushing of a snowflake but it filled her entire body with cold. That slight touch hinted of possession of the vilest nature. She could vaguely make out images as they whisked by her but could not place them…they went by far too quickly. Then she felt herself falling…falling…falling

_"Where am I?" she thought to herself as she looked around. _

It looked as if she had been brought to some old house. She could see that the windows were broken and they were letting in a very cold breeze. She shivered, but it was not entirely because of the breeze.

Voldemort released her shoulder and walked towards a rather sorry-looking fireplace. With a quick wave of his wand, he quickly brought it to life, flooding the room with warmth…a warmth that did not seem to drive the sense of cold away from Hermione.

"Well, my dear, your mission is done and I must say that you performed admirably."

Hermione looked around the room. She could not make out to whom Voldemort was speaking. As far as she could see, they were the only ones present.

"Your words are most gratifying, Master," a thin, vapory voice was heard…a voice which seemed to come from far away.

Hermione realized with a shock who the voice belonged to and almost fell to the ground as a wave of nausea raced through her. 

"Master?" 

"Yes, my dear," Voldemort asked casually as if speaking to the dead were a normal occurrence.

"Might I be permitted to see her?"

Hermione immediately snapped out of her dizziness as quickly as if Peeves had hit her with a bucket of ice-cold water.

"I do not want to see her," Hermione said in a firm voice.

"What you want is of little concern to me," Voldemort hissed and he waved his wand again, "Spiritus."

****

Where there was nothing, Hermione noticed a little cloud forming, a shapeless mass of white and grey. It slowly grew larger and larger and coalesced itself until she began to recognize the form of a young woman, a few years older than herself. The shape further focussed and Hermione recognized Penelope Clearwater, Percy's first love. The ghost looked at her with malice in her eyes and a smile on her face.

"She is not very ornamental, Master," was her comment.

Hermione bristled at the insult but said nothing.

"Is there not anything you wish to ask her?" Voldemort turned to Hermione.

Hermione did not answer.

"Pity. It isn't every day that you have a chance like this," Voldemort smiled cruelly.

"Master, I must go. I trust my purpose has been served."

"Yes, my dear. Farewell."

"Farewell, Master," the voice started to fade and the cloud began to dissipate, "Farewell, Mudblood. Always remember that he will never love you the way he loved me…"

The cloud vanished without a sound, as if it had never been there in the first place.

Hermione's hands clenched into fists and angry tears came to her eyes. She quickly wiped them away and faced Voldemort with renewed determination.

"Why am I here?"

Voldemort did not answer right away. He paused for a moment, as if in deep thought, and then sat down on a decrepit armchair. He motioned Hermione to sit down on an adjacent chair but she shook her head and remained standing.

"Why am I here?" she repeated, somewhat testily. This was not at all what she had been expecting.

"You are here to determine where your true loyalties lie, my dear."

"I think I liked it better when you called me a Mudblood. The pleasantries do not suit you," she said disdainfully.

Voldemort smiled and his eyes narrowed as he got up and walked over to her. She took several steps backwards, bumping into something. Turning around, she saw…

"You!" she screamed, momentarily so overcome by shock to even consider moving.

Wormtail stood before her, smiling…a smile that was uncannily like that of the Dark Lord himself.

"You will not find me an inhospitable host, my dear. Wormtail will give you anything you desire," Voldemort's voice mocked her.

"I desire to return to Hogwarts," she replied angrily, glaring at Wormtail with such hatred that the smaller man looked somewhat fearful.

Voldemort chuckled.

"Such spirit. A spirit that you lack entirely, Wormtail. I am very much looking forward to discussing your misguided loyalties further. For now you must rest. Wormtail will show you to your room. Do not try to escape, my dear. It would not be…prudent."

He then turned to Wormtail with a stern expression on his pale face.

"Do not touch her."

Wormtail looked…crestfallen? Hermione did not want to think about what that might mean.

"Yes, Master," came his quiet reply.

Voldemort stepped into an adjacent room, closing the door softly behind him.

"Come," was the only word he said to her as he walked towards another door, opening it for her in a show of chivalry.

"How do I know you won't murder me in my sleep?" she asked him pointedly, placing emphasis on the word 'you'.

"It is not me that you should be concerned with, my dear," he said with beady eyes.

"I am not concerned with you in the least, you parasite," she retorted hotly, raising her wand in a threatening manner.

"You know that your wand is useless in here. The nullifying spell that my Master has placed on it is very powerful Dark Magic and even you will not be able to break it."

Hermione knew that he was right, had heard Voldemort tell her that he was doing it so that she would not harm herself. She remembered the icy laughter, the cold feeling of being near him. It was all too much.

Feeling that she did not want to say another word to Wormtail, she walked by him and closed the door herself. She leaned against it in dejection and finally allowed the tears to flow freely.

__

"What is going to happen to me?" she thought drearily.

She looked down at her hand and smiled somewhat. She was hoping that Sirius would know what to do with the ring she had purposefully left with Percy. The thought of Percy strengthened her resolve.

"I won't break," she said aloud.

It seemed as if the very silence mocked her declaration.

__

"I know you will find me, Percy," she thought, "I'll be strong. Don't worry about me."

She didn't feel very confident about that.

Hermione looked around her room and saw that, although sparsely furnished, it looked clean and comfortable. Suddenly realizing how exhausted she was, she walked over to the bed, laying down upon it, pointedly ignoring the nightgown laid out for her.

__

"I will not accept so much as a Knut from him," she declared in her mind as she exhaustedly settled on the bed in her dress robes.

"I have to rest," she thought to herself over and over, "Who knows what tomorrow will bring? I need to be strong."

She was asleep before even she realized it.

__

***Dreaming***

Hermione felt as if she were floating in a pitch-black sea. Waves were tossing her here and there and she struggled to keep her head above the water. She felt as if she was drowning in the inky darkness. The water clung to her robes, staining them beyond recognition. Even her skin felt stained. The sun began to rise, casting its reddish glow over the black water, making it appear like blood. She was still struggling but somehow managed to grab hold of a piece of wood floating by. That was when she noticed it…the Dark Mark…branded on her forearm…

"No-o-o-o-o-!"

***End of dreaming***

"No-o-o-o-o. Get it off of me!! Get it off!" Hermione screamed as she sat bolt upright in the bed, with a sheen of cold sweat on her body which made her shake uncontrollably.

She nervously drew up the fabric of her left sleeve and saw that her arm was unmarked. She started breathing again.

"It was just a dream," she thought to herself in relief but then shuddered, "It seemed so real…so horrible…"

There was a knock at her door. Without bothering to wait for an answer, Wormtail walked in with a tray of food consisting of a couple of sandwiches and a goblet of what appeared to be pumpkin juice. She eyed it suspiciously.

"Here to poison me?" she glared at him.

"This may not be what you are accustomed to at Hogwarts but it is wholesome nonetheless," came his quiet reply.

"You take a bite first," she demanded. He immediately took a deliberate bite out of one of the sandwiches, looking at her the entire time with an intensity that made her feel slightly ill.

"Satisfied?" he asked.

"Hardly," she scoffed, "You have made your delivery…you can go now."

He seemed reluctant to leave.

"My Master wishes you to join him in the main room when you are finished your dinner."

"Dinner? What time is it?"

"It is past eight 'o' clock in the evening."

Hermione sat there stunned. She had slept through the entire day?

"You looked as though you needed the rest," he said quietly as he moved towards her. Hermione scuttled back on the bed. There was something about this that was frighteningly familiar and she could feel tiny fingers of panic brushing the rational part of her mind.

"I think you should go," she pointed at the door.

"I don't think I need to. I can sit here and watch you eat," he sat down on the bed. Hermione moved as far away as she could from him.

"I want you to leave," she pointed at the door again, "you are spoiling my appetite."

"You are so much like Lily," he sighed.

Hermione looked at him in shock. Did she just hear that correctly?

"I look nothing like Lily," she practically hissed at him.

Wormtail reached out a hand to touch her foot but she moved it out of his way in time.

"I do not mean in terms of looks. I mean in terms of the type of person you are. She was like you, always generous, loving, loyal to her friends…"

"And is that why you decided that you would help kill her…because she was so wonderful?" Hermione's voice had an edge to it rarely heard.

"She did not have to die," was his unrepentant response.

"What are you talking about?" Hermione's voice was practically a whisper.

"She was foolish. She got in the way. If she had stood aside, she would have lived…and she would have been mine."

"Lily would never have gone with you."

"Do not be so sure, Mudblood. She was foolish and imprudent…but you…you are not these things. I can see that."

"Why does it matter what I am?"

"Because you are promised to me."

It took several seconds for Hermione to remind herself that breathing was a necessity of life. In the face of Wormtail looking at her with something akin to passion in his beady eyes, she had forgotten.

"I will never go with you," she sneered at him, her voice low, silky and dangerous.

He shrugged his shoulders and moved closer to her.

"You are promised to me…and my Master has never broken a promise to me," he said quietly as he began crawling towards her on the bed. Hermione backed right up against the wall, fright clearly apparent in her eyes.

"He told you not to touch me," she whispered as she tried to avoid the hand that wanted to caress her thigh.

"He did not want me to hurt you," he smiled insanely, "I will not hurt you…that is the last thing I wish to do."

He lunged forward, grabbing Hermione's face in both hands and pressed his lips against hers. She struggled frantically, scratching at his face and pulling at his hair.

He pulled away for a moment and Hermione spat at him in disgust. Without thinking, he slapped her hard across one cheek, causing a red mark to appear.

Hermione was too shocked and furious to even feel the pain. She simply glared at him 

"That is very brave of you to strike a witch who is a prisoner and hasn't even the use of her wand. Yes, that is very brave…just like the rat that you are," she yelled in a shrill voice.

He raised his hand again…

"Crucio."

Voldemort had entered the room and that one word, spoken with anger, reduced Wormtail to a quivering, moaning mound of flesh on the floor.

"Master….forgive…"

"You touched her. I expressly told you not to touch her."

Wormtail looked as if he was going to die from the pain.

"She was…insolent…Master…please…the pain…"

"I told you not to touch her."

"…forgive…"

"You must be taught obedience, Wormtail. It is a painful lesson but a necessary one. I do not tolerate disobedience, Wormtail, but you already know that, do you not?"

"Yes, Master…thank you…"

"Finite Incantetum," and with that, Wormtail stopped thrashing and simply lay there, twitching.

Voldemort, ignoring Wormtail, turned instead to Hermione who was still on the bed in her dress robes.

"Come, my dear. We have much to discuss."

He walked over to the door and paused, waiting for her. With a sigh of resignation, she got up off the bed and went into the main room, trying not to notice how she shivered as she passed the Dark Lord.

"I feel that you do not quite understand the reason I brought you here," he said as he sat down at his accustomed chair. Hermione defiantly stood by the fireplace, watching the flames, trying to nerve herself against whatever it was the Dark Lord was planning to do.

"I don't care. Whatever it is you want me to do, I'm not doing it," she said firmly.

"You misunderstand me completely, my dear."

"I told you before, the pleasantries do not suit you."

"I have brought you here to show you the truth."

Hermione laughed sarcastically and turned to face him at last.

"You would not know the truth if it hit you between the eyes like a well-placed bludger."

"I know more than you can possibly imagine, Hermione. For example, I know all about you."

Hermione turned to the fire again, trying to stay focussed. She needed to concentrate on Percy. 

"I know everything there is to know about you. I do like to be thorough in these matters, you understand."

"I don't want to understand. I don't want to know," Hermione muttered, her gaze stonily fixed on the dancing flames.

"Ah, but you do. If there is one thing I know about you, Hermione, it is your drive for knowledge, your drive for self-improvement, your drive for perfection. Don't deny it…these things are what you are."

"I am more than that."

"Are you?"

"I have friends. I have someone who loves me. I have a family that is proud of me. I am not just some person trying to be perfect."

"I disagree but let us explore this rationally. You say you have friends?"

"You know I do. You've tried to kill them many times."

"True. Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley. Two formidable opponents, I must add. Must give credit where credit is due. But are they really your friends? It seems to me that you did not hit it off particularly well when you first met."

"I was a bit cold…I was nervous about entering Hogwarts. I wanted to make the right impression…"

"Obviously that did not impress your friends."

"It took some time but we became friends once I…"

"Changed?"

"Yes."

"But, if they were truly your friends, should they not have accepted you as you were?"

"That's not it at all…." Hermione protested.

"But it is, Hermione. Do you remember when they rescued you from the troll and you took the blame saying that you had gone in after it in the first place?"

"How do you know all this?"

"That does not matter. Did they ever thank you for that bit of selflessness?"

"It wasn't necessary…I mean we were all scared…"

"Did they thank you for it?"

"No, they did not but…"

"It seems to me that they would have if they were really your friends. And then of course, Ronald got knocked out cold by Minerva's transfigured chess set. I didn't see Harry rush over to check if he was all right."

"We had to get the Philosopher's Stone. You were there."

"If he was such a close friend, don't you think he could have at least checked if he was okay before proceeding?'

"We had to hurry…there was no time…"

"Of course not, Hermione, no time for Harry Potter to check if his best friend is alive or not before proceeding on another exercise of self-promotion."

"That's not the way it was at all…" Hermione was practically shouting, refusing to turn around and look at Voldemort. Her hands were clenched into fists, the nails digging into the palms of her hands painfully.

__

"I have to think about Percy." She thought to herself again and again.

"And then in second year, you were accidentally petrified by my beloved pet."

"Pet?" Hermione turned to Voldemort who was watching her with an amused expression. She distinctly got the impression that she was being played with like a mouse that a cat toys with before devouring it entirely.

"I don't remember that Harry and Ronald were all that concerned about you."

"They were frantic with worry."

"How do you know? You were petrified."

"They told me."

"And you trust them?"

"Yes," she answered although her voice held a note of uncertainty in it.

"It seems as if they took their time figuring things out and they decided to save someone else before checking on you."

"Ginny almost died."

"You almost died as well."

"That's different!!"

"I see no difference. You seem to place a high level of loyalty in those who have not shown it to you in return."

"That's not true!! They are my friends. I trust them. They would do anything for me."

"Really? Has Harry Potter ever shown you how to successfully perform the Patronus spell?"

Hermione turned to the fireplace again.

"No," she said in a small voice. 

"Even though Dementors were at Hogwarts in your third year and your sixth year?"

"I never asked…"

"You should not need to ask…he should have offered. What if one of the Dementors tried to administer its fatal kiss to you? How could you possibly protect yourself without that spell? He was keeping the spell to himself. Self-preservation if you ask me. Not thinking about his friends at all."

"That is not true. I did start learning it but…"

"Tell me why it is not true," he challenged her.

She could not answer and, because her back was turned to him, she could not see the triumphant smile that appeared on his face.

"During the Triwizard Tournament, the second task involved retrieving something precious to the Champion. Why was that not you?"

"Ron knew Harry first…it was the logical choice…"

"You barely knew Victor Krum and yet you were chosen to be the thing precious to him. Did it not make you jealous that you had been left on the outside once again?"

"Of course not."

"They have never asked you to the Yule Ball. You have always gone alone."

"That's not the point…they are my friends…"

"You seem to be excluded from so many things in their lives, how can you be certain that they care about you that much?"

"They do care," the note of uncertainty in her voice was clearer and Voldemort's smile grew larger.

"I do not think so. They seem to take advantage of you. Profit from your knowledge. Rape your mind for what they need and then toss you aside until they require you again."

"That is not true at all."

"Do not deny that you have always felt the need to prove yourself to them."

"No…"

"Do not deny that you have always felt jealous of the closeness between the two of them."

"No…"

"Do not deny that you have always felt like an outsider to them, to your schoolmates, to everyone. Who is it that truly loves you for who you are."

"Percy loves me."

"You are nothing but an assignment to him. I know all about his feeble efforts to protect you. He does not love you. He feels an obligation to you because you are his responsibility."

"No, he loves me."

"Then why did he not try to prevent you from going with me?"

"He did try but I told him not…"

"He did not try hard enough. If he loved you half as much as you say he does, losing his life should have been a small price to pay for ensuring your so-called safety. Instead he let you go without so much as a whimper."

"No…that is not the way it happened at all…"

"Isn't it? You are here and I hear no rescuers pounding down my door. They have forgotten about you, my dear. They do not care. They cannot give you what you need and want so desperately."

"What could you possibly know about what I want or what I need?" Hermione's head drooped slightly and her voice was flat and emotionless.

Voldemort arose from the chair and silently walked over to where Hermione stood, swaying slightly. He stood directly behind her and placed a hand on each of her shoulders. She did not flinch.

"I know what it is you want and crave most, my dear. I am the only means for you to achieve them."

Hermione's eyes closed in defeat, letting the coldness from his hands permeate her entire body.

__

"It's true. They have never loved me. They have never accepted me. I was always trying…never seemed to try hard enough," she thought to herself as tears flowed silently down her pale cheeks.

Voldemort turned her around to face him. Her eyes were still closed; the tears still flowing like the blood from a sacrificial offering.

"You desire knowledge, my dear. You desire perfection," he whispered as he traced the line of her jaw with his thumb.

"I desire love," she whispered in a feeble attempt to hold him off, to reclaim some part of herself…

"Love is mutable, fickle and changes as the seasons do. The only thing, which lasts forever, is power. Power is knowledge and I know that you want the knowledge I can give you," he said softly in her ear as one hand wound itself in her hair and pulled her closer to him with surprising gentleness.

__

"No," she meant to say it out loud but it ended up only being a thought trapped in her mind. 

She felt him hold her close. It was an embrace that spoke not of love or closeness. It reeked of darker things and yet, she did not pull away.

"I know you. I know you better than any of your so-called friends does. And, I still want you by my side. I can be a powerful ally. I can be anything you want me to be. All I ask is your loyalty. A small price to pay for all you could achieve for yourself," he traced a circle on her left forearm. It made the hairs on her arm stand up but she did not pull away.

She opened her eyes and looked into his. That was when she realized he had won. All sense of time was gone and she became lost in those cold eyes, like a bird hypnotized by a snake, unable to draw away despite the mortal danger.

"Your friends do not want you as much as I do and they cannot offer you what I can," he said as he lowered his face and claimed her mouth in a searing kiss.

__

"Percy," she thought for a moment as her eyes closed involuntarily. A solitary tear trekked lazily downwards.

He pulled away from the kiss and held her shoulders firmly. A look of triumph was on his face

"You are mine," he whispered. 

Hermione crumpled to the floor in a dead faint. Voldemort looked at her dispassionately for a moment.

"Wormtail!" he called over to the other room.

"Yes Master," Wormtail still looked shaken from the Cruciatus Curse.

"Bring her to the bed. She will receive the Dark Mark tomorrow night and then we will finalize our plan to attack Hogwarts. I must see Lucius Malfoy immediately and will return in the morning. Remember, Wormtail…do not touch her."

"Yes Master," the man whimpered.

Voldemort disapparated from the house.

Wormtail quickly walked over to Hermione, lifting her inert form and clumsily carrying her over to her bed where he deposited her somewhat roughly. He covered her with a blanket, looked at her for a moment, then left the room quickly, closing the door behind him.

As the sun rose to herald the start of a new day, Hermione awoke and immediately felt as if an icy blackness had seeped into her somehow like the black water from her nightmare. Somewhere, deep inside her, a part of her soul began to die…

__

A/N: Next chapter by September 9th

   [1]: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Dracos_Secret



	16. The Price

Disclaimer: Anything you recognize belongs to the goddess, JKR **__**

Disclaimer: Anything you recognize belongs to the goddess, JKR. As always, many thanks to my reviewers for making this so much fun for me (even those of you who want me to finish this story so that I can get on with "Hour of Grace" ::grin::). Constructive reviews make my day. Flamers will get to clean out the Troll latrine with no magic. Special hugs to my fellow Marauders who are all so wonderful. Hugs to my fellow Marauders (now including Meatball, Zoe, Your Worst Nightmare, Steffie and Sharte) who are the most positive people on the planet. . Don't forget to check out the following groups:

[http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Dracos_Secret][1]__

[http://groups.yahoo.com/group/WildestDreamsFanFic][2]

****

Chapter Sixteen: The Price

"Do you think they are going to accept your plan, Malfoy?" Ron asked for the hundredth time.

Draco turned his tired eyes to the red-haired youth standing next to him and nodded.

"It's the only chance we have," he replied quietly, "Voldemort doesn't know about me…I mean, the real me. My father made sure that no one told him."

Ron shuddered slightly at the mention of the Dark Lord's name.

"Yeah," Harry said with a smirk, "It wouldn't make Lucius too popular if Voldemort knew that his son, the son of one of the top Death Eaters, was conspiring against him."

"I wish you guys would lay off calling him by name… it gives me the creeps," Ron muttered.

It was the Monday after the Yule Ball. Hermione had been gone since just after midnight Saturday night. Although Sirius had managed to perform an advanced locating spell on the promise ring Percy had given her they still had to come up with a workable plan to get her back, and had spent Sunday doing just that.). Dumbledore, Professors Lupin and Snape, Sirius Black and Percy Weasley were meeting in the staff room, discussing Draco's plan while Ron, Harry and Draco waited outside. They were getting impatient.

"I just want to get her back," Draco sat down on a bench and drew his knees to his chin, "you don't know what Voldemort is capable of."

"I don't want to know," Ron leaned against the wall, rubbing his hands through his hair.

Harry looked thoughtful for a moment.

"Do you think Voldemort will be able to sway her?"

"No way!" Ron exclaimed.

Harry ignored Ron and looked at Draco.

"Malfoy?" Harry asked.

Draco would not raise his eyes to meet Harry's. "Potter, if anyone has a chance, it's her but…"

"But what? Hermione is a strong person… she has a good heart… she just can't… " Ron spluttered helplessly as if the very notion was too incredible to even be remotely possible.

Draco turned to Ron with a serious look.

"It's not that… Voldemort plays on your weaknesses and your hidden desires. He manipulates every event in your life in such a way that you can't see a future without swearing allegiance to him. It's… it's awful… " Draco shuddered and rested his forehead against his knees.

Ron looked at Harry but Harry shook his head.

They looked at the pale boy with pity.

__

"What did Voldemort do to you?" Harry wondered to himself.

"Lucius Malfoy is a slimy git…if anyone deserves the Dementor's Kiss it's him for what he did to Malfoy," Ron thought scathingly.

All three boys were deep in their own thoughts when the door to the staff room suddenly opened. Percy and Professor Snape, both looking exhausted, stepped out.

"When do we go?" Ron rushed towards him.

Professor Snape held up his hand as if to hold him back. Ron stopped.

"We need to speak with Draco first," Percy said, "It won't take long."

Draco got up off the bench and walked over to them. Harry noticed that he had an expression of resignation on his face.

"Are you sure about this, Draco?" Percy asked him quietly as they entered the staff room and the door started to close behind them.

"No," Harry could just make out Draco's voice, "But it's the only way."

The door shut.

"What is Malfoy getting himself into and why do I feel he did not tell us what the entire plan was?" Ron asked Harry.

Harry shrugged. Something about the expression on Draco's face bothered him.

"He looked as if he was going to be fed to dragons," Ron sat down on the cold floor and rubbed his tired eyes.

Harry said nothing. He just wished he knew an eavesdropping spell.

__

"Fred and George probably know one," he thought to himself in half-amusement.

The door opened again and Dumbledore stepped out.

"You may come in now," he said in a neutral voice.

The two youths walked into the staff room and saw the others standing around a table with a conjured image of the house in question. Professor Lupin was talking to Sirius quietly. Professor Snape was giving Draco a small bottle of what looked to be a misty green liquid. Percy stood with arms crossed, a thumb rubbing his lower lip thoughtfully as he stared at the image in front of him.

__

"I won't fail you a second time, Hermione," he thought to himself.

"First of all, it has been decided that Professor Lupin and myself will remain behind to ensure the safety of the other students here," Dumbledore spoke to the group as if this was news to all of them and not just to the three newcomers.

"What is the plan?… I mean… Malfoy's told us a bit but… " Harry began hesitantly. Somehow, not having Dumbledore and Professor Lupin with them made him slightly nervous.

Professor Snape looked at Sirius, who nodded back at him.

"In order to save Hermione, Draco will ask to join the ranks of the Death Eaters…"

"What?!?" Ron exclaimed hotly.

"… and he will offer Voldemort a most enticing prisoner… Sirius Black."

"No," Harry said in a hollow voice.

Draco turned to Harry.

"Can you think of a better plan, Harry?" he asked. There was neither a smirk nor any trace of sarcasm. It was a question, simply asked.

Harry shook his head dejectedly.

"Ron?"

"Why Sirius?" Ron asked the question since Harry would not.

"Voldemort has always wanted to capture Sirius almost as much as… well, others that he considered to be a true threat to his plans," Professor Snape faltered over mentioning Harry's parents by name. 

"A while ago, I was captured but, before I could be brought to the Dark Lord, I escaped… with some help," Sirius glanced over at Professor Snape, who was busy placing a number of tiny vials into his moneybag.

"So that's why you aren't at each other's throats?" Ron asked, earning a glare from Harry and an amused look from Professor Lupin.

"It wasn't just that… there was much we had to discuss. But, in the end, well… yes, I suppose we decided that killing one another was not the most reasonable course of action," Professor Snape smirked, but without malice.

Sirius simply smiled and put an arm around Harry's shoulders in a reassuring manner.

Dumbledore walked over to where Harry was standing.

"I know this is hard for you, Harry, but it is the only way to get by Voldemort's defenses. We need to do something he will not expect to gain that element of surprise."

"I know that," Harry answered in a small voice.

Ron walked over to his brother.

"You're coming too, right Perce?"

Percy looked up at him and Ron was shocked to see so much raw emotion on his older brother's face. For a moment, everything was laid clear before him. Stripped aside was the façade of pride and cool professionalism leaving behind a vulnerable, soulful young man who was obviously suffering. Ron had never been particularly close with Percy, rather he'd always considered him to be pompous and horribly pretentious, but the last couple of months and the last couple of days in particular had shown that there was more to his brother than met the eye. In that moment, he realized that he cared about his older brother and that realization rather floored him.

"We Weasleys have to stick together," he prodded Percy in the ribs.

Percy grimaced and punched Ron in the shoulder.

__

"Well, that's a first," Ron thought with a small grin.

"We'd better get going," Draco spoke up, a strange light shining in his eyes, "We have to take our broomsticks the whole way…don't want to give Voldemort any indication that we're coming."

The group nodded and said good-bye to Dumbledore and Professor Lupin, who quickly walked towards the staff chambers, presumably to call a meeting.

Percy, along with the others, walked over to the side entrance and opened the doorway. The sun was shining and it was a beautiful day but no one took any notice. As he mounted his broom and took off, Percy reached into his robes and pulled out a thin silver chain he was wearing around his neck. On that chain was the ring he had given to Hermione the night of the Yule Ball. He clenched it in his fist.

__

"I'll be there soon… hang on… just a little longer… hang on," he thought to himself.

He hoped they would be in time.

* * * * * * *

It had been a quiet journey and somewhat long. As they were traveling during the day, they had to be very careful to avoid being spotted by muggles. They could not fly too high so they took to areas that were more rural, offered some kind of cover to fly through and were not particularly well-populated. Progress was slow but they neared their destination.

"We should land here," Professor Snape remarked, "we can walk the rest of the way."

"I don't want to leave our broomsticks here," Harry protested, "we might need them for a quick getaway."

__

"Thinking just like your father," Sirius thought with pride.

Professor Snape gave the matter careful consideration.

"We can bring them with us," he said finally, "You are right, we should be prepared for anything."

They walked the short distance until the house came into view. The sun was just starting to set and the dying rays gave the house a very morbid look, of shadows and light in all the wrong places.

"We have to get ready," Draco's voice sounded strained as he pulled out a coil of rope tied to the belt of his robes, "I won't make them too tight, Sirius."

Sirius held out his hands and Draco bound them carefully but firmly.

"How do the bindings that feel?" Draco asked when he was done.

"I can maneuver my hands a fair bit… it will be enough," Sirius answered.

Professor Snape checked Sirius' bindings and nodded.

"Harry, you can take out the invisibility cloak now," Ron whispered.

Without saying a word, Harry pulled out the silvery cloak and draped it over himself, Ron and Percy. To the others, they simply appeared to have vanished.

"Excellent," Professor Snape said approvingly.

"Snape," Sirius spoke up, "I look a little too… clean. Would it not be more realistic if I at least looked as if I had put up a struggle? It's a matter of pride… I certainly would not have run into my captors' arms."

"A good point… I see now why you were such an exceptional troublemaker when we were in school together. When you plan a scheme, you really think it through to the conclusion, don't you?" The Potions Master had a small grin on his face as he waved his wand. Instantly, Sirius' hair became matted and muddy, his beard rough, his skin looked as if he had not taken a bath in weeks and there were bruises here and there. In short, he looked a truly sorry sight.

Sirius looked at himself and groaned. "Don't you think you were a little too enthusiastic, Snape?" he grumbled.

"Realism, my dear Black… we are aiming for realism," Professor Snape said airily with a definite amused gleam in his eyes.

"Realism my…" Black's voice resembled more of a dog's growl.

"Quiet now," Draco admonished the bickering pair in a fierce whisper, "Remember the plan."

"I know what to do," Percy said in a firm voice, clenching his wand tightly, "You two keep him occupied, I'll take care of the rest."

__

"Just hang on, Hermione… we're coming," he thought as he felt the reassuring weight of the ring against his chest.

"Right," Draco said, straightening up and grabbing the loose end of the ropes that bound Sirius, "Let's go."

And the group, three visible and three invisible, made their way carefully to the seemingly unguarded front doorway to the house.

* * * * * *

Hermione was sitting in an armchair by the fireplace, a glass of water untouched in her hands. She stared deeply into the fire, at the beautiful and ever-changing shapes of the flames as they flickered over the logs.

"Beautiful, is it not?" Voldemort's voice came up from behind her. She did not turn around… did not look away from the fire.

Ignoring her lack of a response, he sat down in the other armchair.

"Such a destructive power… able to level forests, cities, civilizations and yet, properly controlled, it is a necessity of life," he stated quietly, "It is the same with water… giver of life… destroyer of life."

Hermione still did not respond.

Voldemort glanced at her in satisfaction. He knew that she still struggled internally, that he had not yet managed to capture her entire soul. It surprised him that someone like her would still be resisting… still be fighting against the inevitable. All the others had capitulated almost immediately. She had been different. Her thoughts were still partially her own.

__

"I underestimated your strength of character and I am hardly ever wrong about that… very intriguing," he thought.

The sound of shuffling feet announced Wormtail's entrance.

"M.. M.. Master," he whimpered.

"Yes, Wormtail… what is it?"

"We… we… have visi… visitors… " the smaller man squeaked in fear.

"Really, how delightful," Voldemort drawled, completely unconcerned as he negligently held his wand in his long, pale fingers.

Wormtail gulped.

"Severus Snape and… Draco Malfoy and they… they have brought a prisoner, Master."

Voldemort stood up quickly and walked right up to Wormtail, grabbing him by the cloak and lifting him right off the floor.

"Is it the Potter boy?" he hissed.

Wormtail shook his head, fearing his master's wrath.

"Then who is it, you miserable excuse for a sentient being?" he shook Wormtail fiercely.

"It's Sirius Black, Master. Draco Malfoy has brought you Sirius Black," Wormtail whispered, starting to gasp.

A strange expression crossed Voldemort's face and, for a moment, Wormtail thought he was doomed. But then an insane grin slowly manifested itself…

…and he dropped Wormtail onto the floor as if he were nothing more than a useless utensil.

"Well, that is welcome news indeed. I do not know how he managed to escape last time, but this time…it will be different."

He looked down at Wormtail, who was still gasping for breath, with annoyance and kicked him sharply.

"Get up, Wormtail. Show our guests in. I am sure they will be interested to meet the newest addition to our group."

Wormtail, fearing another blow, scrambled quickly to his feet and ran to the hallway.

"Well, my dear," Voldemort came up behind Hermione's chair and idly ran a finger through her hair, "it would appear we have guests and most opportune, I might add. The arrival of Sirius Black provides you with an excellent opportunity to show your loyalty to me."

Deliberately, he traced the finger down and across her neck. Hermione did not flinch… did not move… she simply waited, the firelight dancing in her eyes. Unseen by Voldemort, one hand clenched into a fist under her robes…

"Master?" Wormtail's voice heralded the arrival of his visitors.

Voldemort turned around.

"Show them in, Wormtail," he answered in a mockery of politeness.

Wormtail returned to the hallway and brought in Severus and Draco, who had Sirius Black bound.

Voldemort's eyes widened upon seeing Sirius and immediately walked up to him, ignoring both Severus and Draco.

"Sirius Black. Well, I must say that I had not expected you here tonight. To what do I owe the great pleasure of your company?" he drawled as he took in the prisoner's state with smug satisfaction.

Sirius simply scowled at him.

"You really are a most intriguing individual, Sirius. You are the only person I know to have ever single-handedly escaped from Azkaban. Not even the LeStranges, two of my most devoted followers, were able to accomplish that. I have always wondered what was your secret… What was it about you that allowed you to do what was thought to be impossible?"

"Perhaps it was the thought of blasting you into a thousand pieces," Sirius growled as he struggled dramatically against his bonds.

"It is nice to see that twelve years in Azkaban did not rob you of your pleasing personality. I am not surprised that, even bound as you are, Wormtail will not get within ten feet of you. You never had much of a backbone, did you, Wormtail?"

Wormtail simply slunk back against another wall. He remembered the incident at the Shrieking Shack far too well.

Voldemort turned to Severus.

"Well, Severus, I see you have arrived here as well. How is that fool of a headmaster at Hogwarts?"

"Does it matter?" Severus replied neutrally.

__

"He really does play the part well," Sirius thought to himself.

"Am I to understand that it was young Malfoy here that captured Black?" Voldemort turned to face the young man with interest.

"He was responsible. He found out that Potter had been meeting with him and so he followed Potter out one night and caught him off-guard."

"Taking advantage of Black's reckless and imprudent happiness at seeing Harry. Well done, young Malfoy. Your father has taught you well," Voldemort laughed.

"Yes, Master," Draco responded in a deliberately subservient voice, "I hope that this will prove my loyalty to you and my eagerness to become one of your followers…to go in the same footsteps as my esteemed father."

Voldemort looked at Draco and nodded. "Capturing Sirius Black in such a manner is proof enough. The only thing missing is Potter himself. But that will come, and soon enough at that."

Draco noticed that Voldemort could barely take his eyes off of Sirius and was hoping that he would not notice an invisible trio of unwelcome visitors.

"I have a surprise for you tonight," Voldemort was talking to Severus and Draco but was still staring at Sirius, "I have another visitor. Miss Granger, please come here to say hello to our guests."

Hermione rose out of the armchair automatically and came over to where Voldemort was standing. Sirius gasped. Draco and Severus looked at one another briefly.

Percy nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw her. He had not realized that anyone had been sitting there at all. She looked all right, physically. He could not make out any bruises or anything of that nature. He wanted to move closer, to see her eyes, but he could not. Harry and Ron were holding on to him as if their very lives depended on it. And they were right.

"Miss Granger will become one of us tonight as well," Voldemort said, putting his hand on her shoulder.

"What, in the name of Merlin's ghost, have you done with her?!?" Sirius screamed

"Done? I have not done anything to her, you miserable cur. We have merely had an interesting discussion of who her true friends are."

"And I am sure you filled her head with your damned lies!!" Sirius screamed, looking as if he were ready to lunge at the Dark Lord. Draco kept a firm grip on the rope.

"Do you wish me to place a Full Body Bind curse on him, Master?" Draco asked.

Voldemort waved him off.

"Ropes have a way of cutting into skin that is most appealing," he hissed into Sirius' ear. "Crude, perhaps, but effective nonetheless."

"I am the one you want, not her!! Let her go!!" Sirius spat out.

"On the contrary, Sirius. I want you both. The only difference is I want her alive," the Dark Lord fingered his wand deliberately.

Sirius paled as he saw the evil intent in Voldemort's eyes.

"But, before that happens, there is much we need to discuss, specifically your stay in Azkaban. I am sure that Severus and young Malfoy will greatly enjoy your dissertations on the subject."

Voldemort turned to Wormtail, who was cowering in the corner.

"Wormtail, please bring Miss Granger into her room and then return here. We have… business to attend to," Voldemort drawled.

Wormtail immediately guided Hermione into the bedroom, unaware that three invisible occupants had also made their way inside. Wormtail closed the door and rejoined the group.

* * * * * *

Percy's first instinct was to rush over to Hermione but he placed one hand on his brother's shoulders and one on Harry's as if to tell them to wait.

Hermione walked over to her bed and sat down upon it. She barely moved. She barely breathed. She seemed barely alive.

__

"I'm going to have to take a chance," Percy thought to himself.

Percy motioned to Harry and Ron that he was going over to Hermione. They were to stand guard at the doorway to let him know if anyone was approaching.

He did not want to think about what would happen if Hermione was already…

__

"No… she does not yet belong to him," Percy thought to himself angrily as he silently stepped out from the protective folds of the invisibility cloak and suddenly appeared in the room.

He walked over to where she sat, carefully and quietly. Kneeling down in front of her, he took her cold hands in his own. Her lack of a response frightened him.

"Hermione?" he whispered.

Nothing.

"It's me. It's Percy. Please answer me. I have been so worried about you. Are you… are you all right?"

Still nothing. The blankness in her eyes was heart wrenching.

"Please say something, Hermione. All I have thought about the last couple of days has been you. I haven't been able to sleep because I didn't know if you even had a bed. I haven't been able to eat because I didn't know if you were being fed."

He reached up one hand to brush away a stray lock of hair from her face.

"Are you a dream too?" Her voice sounded strained, as if the effort of speaking was taking a great toll on her strength. "I have had many dreams lately… sometimes they seem so real… images of you and me… of me and my friends. But I have been told that I have no friends and have no love… but these dreams…"

"You have been lied to by the king of lies. You have friends, Hermione, good friends… true friends who are willing to risk their lives to bring you back safely," he said in a quiet voice, ever fearful of being overheard, although with the loud voices coming through the door, there seemed to be little risk of that.

"I have been told they do not care," she said in that same emotionless voice.

"Of course they care."

"I have been told you do not care."

Percy was taken aback by her words momentarily. What if she really believed that?

"That is not true, Hermione. I love you. I have loved you since the first time I saw you, although I did not realize it at the time. Do you remember that first night at Hogwarts, at the Sorting Feast? We were talking about lessons and you hoped they would start soon and how Transfiguration sounded the most interesting? I thought you were so sweet and I really did enjoy talking to you because you seemed so interested in what I had to say. In your second year, when you were petrified, I came to visit you whenever… well, I did visit you several times. I thought that I felt so bad because you were my brother's best friend. I know now that wasn't the case. The year that we finally won the Quidditch house cup… I… I almost kissed you out of sheer joy. I remember rationalizing that urge to myself afterwards saying that I had been overcome by extreme feelings of joy. Then, for a while I tried to forget you. I thought I saw a growing closeness between you and Ron and I threw myself into my relationship with Penelope. And then, Penelope left and I wallowed in self-pity until… until someone mistook me for my younger brother and opened up my eyes to what had been in front of me all this time. It took me a long time to get up the courage to tell you how I felt. It will take me a lifetime to show you. I love you, Hermione. I cannot put it to you any simpler than that. I love you. I do not want to go back to being the person I was when you were not in my life. I do not like that person anymore. I need you. I do not want to ever lose you."

Hermione closed her eyes. Percy felt a slight tightening on his hands…

"Percy," Harry whispered suddenly.

…the softest of sobs…

"Percy, get over here," Ron whispered frantically.

…and a solitary tear…

"Percy, come here," Harry whispered, trying to move towards him quickly.

Hermione opened her eyes and looked at Percy. He smiled at her.

"I love you, with everything I am," he said quietly.

Her lips trembled…

"I…I…" she was desperately trying to say something.

The door to the bedroom burst open and there was a stunned silence. Percy did not move. Hermione did not move. They just kept staring at one another.

"I know," Percy whispered as he caressed her cheek. He then stood up, without releasing her hands and turned around.

Voldemort was looking at him with cruel interest. Behind him, Percy could see Draco and Severus trying not to look concerned, although Draco looked as though he was in physical pain. He could not see Sirius or Wormtail.

"Well, if it isn't our besotted Professor Weasley. It seems I greatly underestimated your powers…I will not do so again. I do not know how you managed to get in here but, rest assured, you will not be leaving."

With a wave of his wand, Percy found himself bound so tightly he could not move a muscle and, indeed, found it difficult enough to simply breathe. Hermione's hands dropped to her lap. Voldemort walked over to her and, taking one hand, made her stand up.

"And now, my dear, the time has come for you to prove yourself to me," he announced, leading her out of the bedroom. 

Percy found himself floating in his bindings and following unwillingly. Ron and Harry positioned themselves by the open bedroom door and waited for an opportunity…anything that might give them a chance. Severus was casting furtive glances around the room as if to evaluate the various escape options. Draco was hugging his arms around himself tightly in agony. Wormtail still cowered by the opposite wall as Sirius, looking more haggard and exhausted, stared daggers at him.

"Stand here on my left side, my dear," Voldemort instructed. Hermione complied with a stormy look in her eyes.

Percy settled to the ground several meters away from them and stood facing Hermione.

Severus cautiously reached into his robes pocket and grasped his wand. He nudged Draco to do the same. The young man, wincing, grasped his wand carefully.

"As you know, before a witch or wizard may join me, they must perform an act of faith… a means by which they prove themselves and bind themselves to me for now and forever."

Wormtail nodded nervously. Severus shuddered imperceptibly.

"Young Malfoy has already proven himself by bringing me Sirius Black. For that he has earned the right to become one of my followers and he has already received his Dark Mark."

Percy saw Draco pull his left sleeve back and cringed when he saw the insignia of the Death Eaters upon his pale skin.

"Beautiful, is it not? Miss Granger shall be next. I originally thought that I should like nothing better than to have her kill Sirius Black but that particular pleasure shall be reserved for me… once I extract all the useful information I can from his head," he hissed menacingly at Sirius, who did not pay attention, focusing instead on Wormtail.

"Your presence here is certainly a fortunate coincidence, Professor Weasley, as I will have Miss Granger kill you instead."

Percy paled as Voldemort conjured up a cruel-looking dagger and handed it to Hermione.

She walked towards Percy slowly, holding the knife as if to strike him through the heart… her face, expressionless.

"Hermione, don't do this," he pleaded.

Ron was nudging Harry, both with wands drawn. They could see Severus and Draco getting ready while Sirius simply stood and stared at Wormtail, thereby ensuring that all his attention was on him and not on the others.

"Kill him, Hermione, and everything you desire will be yours," Voldemort's voiced crackled like the flames in the fireplace.

"He's lying to you. Yes, you can have everything you desire but look at the cost. You will lose your friends… your family… your soul. You will have everything you desire… everything you want… but you will lose everything that really matters," Percy strained against his bindings as he tried desperately to reach her.

Something flickered in her eyes… a moment of confusion… indecision…

"You are mine, Hermione… finish him off," Voldemort urged.

Percy looked into her eyes.

"You are not his, Hermione. You belong to no one… no one but yourself," he said quietly.

She raised the knife higher… her hand was shaking badly…

"I love you, Hermione… no matter what… I love you."

She looked into his eyes… hesitated… the knife lowered slightly…

"Remember your drive for knowledge… for perfection… for power. Only I can give that to you," Voldemort hissed.

"None of that is important if there is no love in your heart," Percy answered calmly. "You taught me that."

Tears were forming in her eyes… silent sobs wracking her body…

… and then…

CLANG

The knife fell from her nerveless fingers, clattering loudly on the floor.

"Nooooooo!!!" she screamed, putting her head in her hands and crying loudly.

"If you will not do it, Mudblood," Voldemort waved his wand and the knife rose suddenly. Percy closed his eyes, knowing what would come next, "Then I will."

  
Before any of the others could react, the knife suddenly flew towards Percy.

The sickening sound of a knife making sudden contact with flesh could be heard.

Percy felt a sharp blow but, oddly enough, no pain. 

__

"Is this dying?" he thought for the shortest instant before opening his eyes.

He had not been hit at all. 

Someone else had shielded him.

__

"No," he thought in sudden panic…

The knife protruded from Hermione's chest. She looked down at it in astonishment, as if questioning the reality of the situation.

"Hermione!!!" 

"Noooooo!!!"

"You bastard!!!!!" 

Percy could not make out the individual voices. He was momentarily stunned.

Voices. Screams. Curses. Wands drawn in battle.

Percy tuned it all out.

He suddenly found himself free and immediately held her.

She stood there unsteadily but slowly sank to the ground. Percy did not let go of her.

Percy had the vague impression that Sirius had captured Wormtail and that the others were focusing on Voldemort… but none of that was important.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, coughing slightly.

"Shh… don't talk… I have to… " he quickly removed the knife, causing her to gasp in pain. He immediately covered the wound with his hand.

Trying not to panic, he pointed his wand at the wound and tried every healing spell that Madam Pomfrey had ever taught him. The wound was very deep and she was losing a lot of blood.

"I love you, Percy… he tried to make me forget… " she was crying weakly now and her eyelids drooped dangerously.

"I love you… you are going to be fine… just hang in there," Percy insisted, kissing her cold cheek as he kept trying to stop the bleeding. She was getting paler and there was a bluish tinge on her lips.

More screams. More curses. A strange red-gold light… and then…

… and then there was silence.

"… love you…" her eyes suddenly closed and her head drooped.

"Hermione? Hermione!!!"

He suddenly felt a strong hand on his shoulder. Looking up, he saw Severus, looking extremely anxious. Harry, Ron and Draco were behind him, pale with fright… Draco looking particularly bad.

"Percy… let me… I have some experience in these matters," Severus said, his voice unsteady.

Severus gently lay Hermione down on the floor and was able to quickly close the nasty wound. 

"She is still alive but only just. Her heartbeat is dangerously weak and she has lost a great deal of blood."

"Could we take her to a muggle hospital?" Draco asked, his voice shrill with nerves

"Then we'll get stuck with muggle law enforcement," Harry answered fretfully. His entire body was shaking.

"We can't disapparate to Madam Pomfrey's infirmary," Ron was fidgeting and rubbing his sweaty brown as if he had a massive headache.

"We can't disapparate at all… she is far too weak… she'll never make it," Sirius protested loudly, holding onto Percy.

"We can't just let her die!" Percy shouted.

"She will not die," Severus said in a tone that left little doubt in anyone's mind. He quickly went over to the fireplace and threw in an iridescent powder, which instantly flamed to life.

Incredibly, Madam Pomfrey immediately appeared in the room, brushing soot off her robes and looking most concerned.

"I was hoping you would not have to use that, Severus. What has happened? By Merlin's beard, that… that's Sirius Black!! Severus… what is going on and… is that Peter Pettigrew… but that's impossible. What on earth… " she looked hysterical.

"Everything is all right and I will explain it all later. It's Hermione who needs you urgently. She has lost a great deal of blood… she… she is… "

Now, Madam Pomfrey was not the best mediwitch Hogwarts had ever seen for nothing. She immediately regained her composure and rushed over to where Hermione lay. She waved her wand over the young woman's inert form.

"She has lost far too much blood for a replacement serum to work in time. This must be done the old-fashioned way… she needs a direct transfusion."

To everyone's amazement, Severus immediately rolled up his arm.

"Severus… I know you are concerned for her well-being but you have to be the same blood type as her in order…" she spluttered, somewhat in shock, having never seen him act this way before.

"We have the same blood type," he said quietly.

"How on earth would you know that?" Draco asked suddenly.

Feeling everyone's eyes on him, Severus turned to look at Hermione. He reached out a hand to touch her cheek.

Percy looked at him, then looked at her and then looked at him again.

__

"It can't be…can it?" he thought to himself.

"Because she is my daughter."

__

A/N: Next chapter by September 16th (yes, some details of the battle will be explained)

A/N2: Extra special hugs to Tessie and wm_law2003 for taking the time from their busy schedules to look this long chapter over

   [1]: http://groups.yahoo.com/Dracos_Secret
   [2]: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/WildestDreamsFanFic



	17. A Book of Revelations

Disclaimer: Anything you recognize belongs to the goddess, JKR **__**

Disclaimer: Anything you recognize belongs to the goddess, JKR. Many thanks to my reviewers for being so nice as this story draws to its conclusion (only one more chapter to go). Your comments and feedback have been simply wonderful…many humble thanks. Special shout-outs to my fellow Marauders who are a great bunch of writers. Constructive reviews are cherished. Flamers remember…I like my steaks medium-rare. Yes, the title is Biblical in tone so I guess I don't own that either ::nervously looks upwards::

****

Chapter 17: A Book of Revelations

__

***The next evening***

"I still can't believe it," Sirius exclaimed in disbelief.

They had returned to Dumbledore's office after being practically expelled magically from the infirmary by an infuriated Madam Pomfrey. The only one she had permitted to stay was Severus and that was only because she needed his skills in potion making. Harry and Ron were sitting on either side of Draco, who still looked rather ill. Percy was standing, looking at the Pensieve rather angrily. Sirius was pacing somewhat erratically while Remus and Dumbledore looked on in amusement.

"What is it exactly that you do not believe, Sirius?" Remus wondered aloud with a smile on his face.

Sirius stopped to look at his friend in amazement.

"I don't believe any of this," he sighed, shrugging his shoulders.

"I can't believe that Snape is Hermione's real dad. I mean, how the hell did that happen?" Ron muttered.

"Now, Weasley, do I need to explain the birds and the bees to you?" Draco smirked. Ron simply rolled his eyes but he blushed rather deeply.

"If you weren't injured…" the redhead said deliberately.

Harry smiled. The heckling between Draco and Ron was rather welcome. It was one of the few things that had not changed tonight.

"Knut for your thoughts, Harry," Remus walked over to the three young men.

"I'm just glad that we were able to get Hermione out of there and that we got Wormtail. Sirius' name will be cleared now," Harry looked over at his godfather who was still in a bit of a state of shock.

"Yes, officials from the Ministry of Magic will be coming shortly in order to question him. I have already spoken to Fudge and, thankfully, he will not bring Dementors with the delegation," Dumbledore explained.

"Will he get the Kiss?" Harry asked nervously.

"Yes, Harry. Crimes such as the ones he has committed cannot go unpunished. He caused the deaths of your parents, of a number of muggles in the confrontation with Sirius shortly afterwards and in the wave of killings and torturing that has plagued the wizarding community recently. He must be made to answer for his crimes and receive an appropriate punishment," Dumbledore sounded as if this was a speech he had given before. And, although he knew the appropriateness of the punishment, a low sigh of regret still passed his lips.

"Serves him right," Ron muttered angrily. He had never been able to get over the Scabbers incident. Indeed, he believed that Wormtail had murdered Scabbers as well.

"How are you feeling, Draco?" Remus asked, concern in his eyes.

"I have been better," Draco joked, "But the mark is fading now and the pain is lessening."

Harry turned to Draco with surprise in his eyes, "What do you mean, the mark is fading? Show us your arm."

Draco pulled up the sleeve of his robe. Sure enough, the Dark Mark was still there but it was fading rather quickly.

"How is that possible?" Ron whispered in awe.

"Snape had been developing a potion that would render the Dark Mark…well, not exactly permanent. He gave it to me before we left and I drank it before we went into the house," Draco pulled his sleeve back down, not wishing to look at the ugly stain any longer than he had to.

"I bet he wishes it would work on him," Ron said in one of those rare moments of true perception.

"What happened in there?" Percy had not turned around, his attention still focused on the Pensieve, but his question hung in the air.

"Yes, Remus and I are anxious to hear what transpired in the house. You reached the point where Hermione was hurt…" Dumbledore motioned to Remus, Sirius and Percy to sit down. Percy was the only one who remained standing…next to the Pensieve.

__

"I wish I could use this now," he thought to himself.

"We…we just reacted. I don't think we really had a plan…we just panicked. Sirius went after Wormtail…literally pounced on him and bound him with his own belt. I was scared that Wormtail would attack in some way but he seemed…I don't know…shocked by what Hermione did. I don't think he expected that…he just looked devastated and didn't offer any resistance to Sirius," Harry began…shuddering when he remembered the look on Wormtail's face.

"Snape quickly unbound Percy and was trying to get to Hermione but the Dark Lord started attacking Harry and me and he had to help us. I think that even the most evil of wizards finds it difficult to battle against four determined opponents. Especially when he was only expecting two," Ron nudged Draco and grinned.

"Something funny happened to Harry's wand," Draco frowned as he tried to remember all the details, "It wasn't like that other time you told me about…it was…really different."

"What do you mean," Remus questioned.

"It was as if the wand was acting without Harry…I don't really know how to explain it," Draco closed his eyes in pain, as if the effort of trying to put the events into words was hurting him.

"Why don't you simply describe what you saw," Dumbledore commented gently.

Draco took a deep breath and opened his eyes.

"It was as if the two wands were battling one another but there was this presence in Harry's wand that gave him an advantage. Voldemort tried to cast spells on Ron, Snape and myself but nothing he tried seemed to work. I think that Harry's wand was blocking his wand's ability to do magic…but I don't understand how that can be."

Dumbledore nodded and turned to Remus who summoned a book off of one of the many shelves in Dumbledore's office. Thumbing through it, he found what he was looking for.

"Is it what I think it is?" Dumbledore asked.

Remus nodded.

"What?" Harry stood up and walked over to where Remus was scanning a page carefully. "What is it?"

"Voldemort knew many spells of very ancient origin but he missed one…and a very important one at that," Remus began.

"As some of you are aware, Harry's wand and Voldemort's wand both have a magical core of the same origin which is most unusual. Their wands both contain the tail feather of a Phoenix…my Phoenix, Fawkes. Back in Harry's fourth year, the two wands were forced to battle and Harry's wand forced the other to show the spells it had performed. Shades of several people Voldemort murdered appeared and helped Harry find his way back to Hogwarts safely and to bring Cedric's body back as well so that he could be properly buried with the dignity and respect he deserved. This time, it seems that Harry's wand was not content with this and, indeed, was angered by the fact that a magical substance from such a pure and good source like my Fawkes was being used for evil."

Sirius moved closer to Dumbledore.

"But a wand isn't a living being," he argued, trying to make some sense of what Dumbledore was saying and not succeeding.

"That is true, my friend," Remus countered, "But any truly magical substance that comes from a magical beast such as a phoenix or a unicorn does retain a vestige of its living self…this is what gives compounds such as powdered unicorn horn or phoenix tail feathers such powerful properties. The same, but opposite effect, can be found in evil creatures such as basilisks where the scales, if buried, will cause all plants within a certain perimeter to wither and die."

"So, the two wands battled it out. Harry's wand won…what happened next? Voldemort just screamed…there was this red-gold light that came out of his own wand that just…enveloped him and he…he just disappeared," Draco looked rather shaken.

"Well, it says in the book that the defeated wand will take vengeance on its owner for having betrayed it. The book doesn't specify how or if the wand actually destroys him…some of this is rather ambiguous…it's the trouble with translating some of these lost languages," Remus pointed to a section of the book. Harry looked at it but could not understand the writing.

__

"I should have studied more in Ancient Languages," he thought to himself as he adjusted his glasses.

"So, he was defeated by his own wand?" Ron asked incredulously.

"That is putting it rather simplistically, but yes, that is exactly what happened. I never considered that possibility," Dumbledore looked at the book for a few moments and then returned it to its spot on the bookshelf.

"Is he gone for good now?" Harry asked.

Dumbledore sighed.

"I hope so. I do not sense his presence and your scar doesn't hurt you, does it?"

Ron suddenly turned to his friend.

"I didn't think of that. Your scar…it never hurt while we were in there. How was that possible?"

Harry, though pale and slightly bloodied from the battle, smiled at his friend.

"Snape," was the only word he said.

Ron whistled, "I am definitely going to have to pay more attention in Potions."

Draco laughed, "Maybe you can replace Snape when he retires."

"I think the first thing I am going to do is have a talk with your aunt and uncle, Harry." Sirius remarked softly, almost as if he could scarcely believe he had said the words.

Harry was practically beaming.

"You have all done exceptionally well. You should be very proud of yourselves. We will discuss this further tomorrow. I think you should all get some rest…you have certainly earned that and I am sure not one of you has slept since your return."

Dumbledore held up his hand to stop the protests coming from all of them.

"She is in good hands…I will let you know when you can see her. Go back to your rooms, get some sleep and we will talk further. Remus, please accompany them so that they don't…get lost along the way."

Knowing that it was useless to argue with him, they began to follow Remus out of the office.

"Percy," Dumbledore put a hand on the young professor's shoulder, "I would like you to remain for a moment."

Percy nodded and watched as Dumbledore closed the door after the others. He turned back towards him.

"I thought perhaps, you might like to speak to Madam Pomfrey before you retire for the evening," he said to the younger man.

Percy's eyes widened.

"But…but Madam Pomfrey.." he protested half-heartedly.

Dumbledore chuckled somewhat.

"Is waiting for you as we speak," Dumbledore's eyes simply gleamed.

Percy walked over to the door but then turned.

"Severus…" he started, somewhat uncertainly.

"Will tell you his own story himself," Dumbledore replied.

Percy nodded.

"Thank you," he said gratefully.

Dumbledore shook his head.

"No, Percy, it is for me to thank you. You have done an exceptional job…better than even I could have hoped. Your parents will be very proud of you…as I am."

Percy smiled. Although appreciated, Dumbledore's praise did not mean as much to him as it would have months earlier.

"I do hope that you will stay for the remainder of the school year. You do have a knack for teaching and it is so difficult to find a teacher for only half the year," Dumbledore sat down at his desk and pulled out a parchment and a quill.

"Yes, of course I will stay," Percy replied.

"Excellent," Dumbledore began to write, "I will see you in the morning. Good night, Percy."

"Good night, sir."

Percy soon found himself in the hallway and hurried towards the infirmary. He stood outside Madam Pomfrey's office and knocked. She quickly opened the door and let him in with a small smile.

"How is she?" he asked immediately.

She shook her head slightly.

"There is still no change. I am getting somewhat nervous about the whole situation. She should have regained consciousness by now," Madam Pomfrey was clearly worried about her charge.

"Have you tried the Mandrake potion?" Percy asked.

Madam Pomfrey sighed sadly.

"It is ineffective against something like this. The Mandrake potion is effective against magically induced comas…this is not magical."

"Can I go in to sit with her?"

Madam Pomfrey smiled sadly at the young man. She could tell that he had not slept at all and, although she had tried to get him to take some sleeping potion, he seemed violently opposed to the idea for some reason.

"Of course. Professor Snape has been sitting with her all day. Poor man. I have never seen him look so broken…none of us knew…"

Tears were welling up in her eyes and she wiped them away furiously with the corner of her apron. Percy placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I know she is getting the very best care. It's just a matter of time."

The older mediwitch looked up at him gratefully and nodded.

"You can go in, dear," she said affectionately.

Percy smiled at her in thanks and swiftly walked into the infirmary. There was only one cot that was occupied and the curtains were all drawn. He pushed them aside and stopped for a moment.

Severus had finally given in to the exhaustion preying upon his body. He had fallen asleep, sitting in the chair beside Hermione, his hand still holding hers.

__

"Father and daughter. I still can't believe it…she looks nothing like him," he thought to himself.

Walking over to the sleeping figure quietly, he gently touched the older man's shoulder in an effort to waken him without startling him. Severus immediately opened his eyes, sitting up quickly.

"It's only me. I thought you might get an awful crick in your neck if you continued sleeping like that," Percy said awkwardly as he walked around the bed to sit on the other chair.

Placing Hermione's hand gently on the bed, Severus got up and stretched. Percy was reminded of a cat, a very lean black cat. Running a hand through his hair tiredly, the older man sat down again with a sigh and looked at Hermione wistfully, needlessly rearranging her blankets.

"What time is it, Percy?" he asked.

"It's after eight in the evening. Have you eaten anything?"

Severus shook his head.

Percy frowned. "You have to eat something…I can call the house elves if you like."

"No…I will have something a little later. I can't eat here…Pomfrey would skin me alive…and I am scared to leave. I want to be here when she wakes up."

Percy could see that Severus was extremely worried. He had not spoken to anyone since their return to Hogwarts…not even Dumbledore and that was most unusual for the Potions Master.

"Did you want to talk about it?" Percy asked gently.

Severus looked at the younger man with a tired expression. Percy felt as if ten years had suddenly been placed on his colleague's fatigued shoulders.

"It's a long story," Severus commented rather uncertainly.

"We have plenty of time and I think it would do you a lot of good. You have held in a great deal over many years…that is hardly healthy."

A wry grin appeared on Severus' face. "When you were my student, I thought you were very intelligent but also the most annoying and pompous boy I had ever met…and now…"

Percy grinned slightly. "And now?"

"And now I wonder how you turned into this perceptive and sympathetic person."

Percy looked at Hermione…at her pale face and her closed eyes. 

"It's because of her," he answered quietly.

"I understand," Severus acknowledged.

"And it's because of her that I think you need to talk about this…talk to someone else about this before you talk to her," Percy looked at Severus as he talked to him. There was a firmness in his voice that Severus could not ignore.

Severus sighed deeply…as if preparing himself for an awful experience…like swallowing undiluted Bubotuber pus.

"Where do I start?" he asked.

"Why don't you tell me about Hermione's mother?"

A strange sad smile passed over Severus' face and Percy got the distinct impression that the older man was remembering something that was, at the same time, blissfully sweet and bitterly sad.

"She was in the same year as myself but she had had the misfortune of being sorted into Gryffindor," Severus smirked good-naturedly at Percy. "We did not associate with each other all that much. I was always with Lucius Malfoy and she seemed to associate with a number of Hufflepuffs. For some reason, I don't think she ever really fit in with her house, except for Remus. I can't say that I really noticed her at first…mainly thought of her as just another Gryffindor. It was in fifth year that I noticed that there was this real beauty in several of my classes and maybe I should try to pursue her. She was not beautiful, in the traditional sense, but she was beautiful to me because she was warm, caring and had a wonderful sense of humour. I would watch her with her friends…her laugh was like tinkling wind chimes…"

Severus stopped for a moment and looked at Hermione. "She laughs like her mother."

"Did she love you?" Percy quizzed.

The older man laughed for a moment. "No, at first she thought of me as a greasy-haired git."

Percy smiled, somewhat chastened, he had often thought the same thing during many Potions classes.

"Strangely enough, she accepted when I asked her to the Yule Ball and, well, we started seeing one another after that. We never told anyone. I don't think anyone would have believed us in any case. I was not very popular and there were several, especially in Gryffindor, who would have thought the only way I would have a female companion would be by using the Imperius Curse."

__

"I remember Ron saying something like that a couple of years ago," Percy thought guiltily.

"Remus Lupin knew. He…found us in a rather compromising position once."

Percy grinned slightly.

"Unfortunately, Voldemort was rising and, although we were safe at Hogwarts, the outside world was in real danger. I…I made a very bad decision…I only thought to protect myself and her…I did not think of the consequences of that decision or the price I would have to pay…continue to pay to this very day."

"Did she know?"

"No. I did not tell her. I was ashamed that I was not being completely truthful but I wanted to protect her. I think you can understand that."

Percy nodded. Yes, he could understand that very well.

"After graduation, we married. Yes, we were young, but you have to understand that many of us married young at that time. Again, we kept everything a secret from almost everyone. Dumbledore knew…the Dark Lord knew and Remus Lupin knew."

  
"How did he find out?"

"She sent him a wedding photo. I had not wanted any photographs taken but she had insisted on just a couple. Her mother and Remus' mother had been good friends and Remus was like a brother to her. I did not realize he knew until a year ago when I discovered the photo in his possession."

"That must have caught you by surprise."

"I felt horribly guilty about it. I…I have never treated Remus very well."

"And then what happened?"

"We discovered that she was pregnant. It was a particularly fertile year. Lily Potter was pregnant. Molly Weasley was expecting a sixth child. The Longbottoms were expecting their first. Even Lucius's wife was pregnant. By then, I had turned spy for Dumbledore and I was afraid that the Dark Lord would target her so we decided that she would stay in Hogwarts. We made up some story…I don't remember what it was but I guess it sounded plausible. Then again, who would question Dumbledore?"

"Did you hear from Remus?"

"No. The time passed slowly and I was always afraid that The Dark Lord would discover my true loyalties and try to harm my wife and unborn child. It was agonizing. Then, one night, she went into labour. It was horrible. Madam Pomfrey wasn't here at that time…I wish she had been…she would have known what to do. The labour, as most first labours go, was long and arduous. But, after 14 hours, Hermione was finally born. As she was placed in my arms, my wife sighed softly and then…she died. Her heart had stopped. The midwife and the mediwitch could not save her."

Severus wiped the tears away from his eyes.

"I was devastated. I had been left alone with this beautiful baby and I was terrified. She was so beautiful. Pink-cheeked. Chubby. Black hair. Eyes shut tight with crying. I remember holding her close to me as I cried. Part of me wanted her to stay with me. Part of me felt she had to go in order to protect her."

"So you spoke to Dumbledore?"

"Correct. I brought Hermione with me and spoke to Dumbledore to some length. He tried to persuade me to reconsider but, the more I thought about it, the more the decision to give her up seemed to be the right thing to do."

"How did you go about that?"

Severus sighed deeply.

"Dumbledore and I went to a local muggle hospital. A young couple had just given birth to a stillborn child. We…we switched the babies and placed a memory charm on everyone in the delivery room. To the young couple, it seemed that everything had gone well and they had a healthy baby girl."

"But what about the other baby?"

"The other baby was buried, under the Granger name, in a local muggle cemetery. I enchanted the plot so that there were always flowers blooming there. It was the least I could do."

"And you…"

"And I continued to spy for Dumbledore but I was not particularly effective because my thoughts always went back to her. Finally, I asked Dumbledore to place a memory charm on me. He refused initially but I managed to beat down his resistance."

"But…you remember now…"

"That is true. Even though the memory charm removed the memory of having been married and the memory of a daughter, it did not remove the anger, the bitterness and the despair I felt. I just felt it without knowing the reason why."  
  
_"Which explains why you were the least popular professor in Hogwarts," Percy thought to himself._

"Just over two years ago, Dumbledore removed the memory charm. It has been difficult teaching Hermione the past couple of years…especially this year. I'm sure she noticed my changed behaviour towards her."

"She might have mentioned it."

Severus smiled somewhat.

"I am going to have to have the memory charm removed from her…from Mr & Mrs Granger. I only hope that they…that she can forgive me...I am so afraid that she will not and that I will lose her a second time."

Tears were running down Severus' cheeks.

"You did all this because you love her and you have suffered terribly because of it. I know she will understand and I know she will not reject you. Just talk to her and be honest. It is what she would expect."

"I suppose you are right…I am just a little nervous."

"It will be all right. I know it will. In the meantime, why don't you go get something to eat? You look famished. I will wait here with her."  
  
Severus did not look wholly convinced.

"I wanted to be here," he muttered.

"Go get something to eat…you are no good to anyone if you fall in a dead faint."

Severus nodded reluctantly and got up.

"Let me know if…" the older man said quietly.

"When," Percy corrected firmly.

Severus leaned down to kiss Hermione's forehead and, with a nod to Percy, left the infirmary.

Percy looked at Hermione. It was unnerving to see her in this state. For a moment, he was brought back to sixth year when she had been petrified.

He moved a little closer to her and took her hand. It was still cool to the touch.

"Please wake up, Hermione," he whispered to her still form, "I don't know what I will do if I have to go through the rest of my life without you in it. You have to come back to me. You have to."

Percy's eyes welled up with tears and, sobbing to release the ache in his heart, he leaned his head down to rest on his hand, which was still firmly holding hers. 

"Please come back to me. I love you. I can't lose you now."

All the emotions of the past few days came rushing through Percy and he cried.

"Don't leave me," he whispered brokenly.

And then, he felt a hand run through his hair softly. He looked up, disbelieving. Her eyes were half-open and they looked at him with warmth and love. She was smiling but she still looked quite tired.

And Percy found he could not say a word so he did the next best thing.

He kissed her. A kiss as soft and gentle and full of promise as hers had been several months before.

She looked at him with eyes that were full of tears.

"I couldn't leave you," she said softly, "I still have NEWTs to write."

She started giggling at the shocked expression on Percy's face and he soon joined her, happy to laugh at anything.

"Is Voldemort gone now?" she asked quietly.

"Yes."

Percy did not want to tell Hermione his fears, perhaps unfounded, that the Dark Lord was simply wounded and would return again. Dumbledore seemed to think that Voldemort was gone. That was good enough for him.

"I love you, Percy," she said with shining eyes.

"And I love you, Hermione. I think you should have this back now."

Percy slipped the promise ring from the chain around his neck and placed it delicately on the ring finger of her right hand. She looked at it in sheer contentment…as if she asked nothing more from life.

"I see you are up," Severus' voice startled them.

"Hello, Professor Snape," Hermione said politely.

Percy stood up.  
  
"No, Percy, you may stay," Severus protested. Percy sat down again and Severus sat down on another chair.

"How are you feeling?" Severus asked.

"A little tired but I can feel my strength returning." She answered.

Severus, sighing, took her hand.

__

"You have the same strength of character that your mother did. She would have been so proud of you. As I am," he thought.

"Hermione…when you are stronger…there are many things I will need to discuss with you…" he said somewhat uncertainly.

Hermione nodded and smiled at him with genuine affection as she remembered the events from the night before. Although unable to speak or react, she had still been able to listen. Who he was. Who she was.

__

"Yes…when I am stronger…Dad," she thought to herself.

A/N: Firstly, I would like to once again offer my condolences to all the victims of the September 11th, 2001 tragedies as well as to their families and friends. 

A/N2: The next chapter will be the last chapter and I should have it ready for you in a week's time.

A/N3: Many thanks to Tessie for beta-reading


	18. An End and a Beginning

Disclaimer: Anything you regognize belongs to the goddess, JKR **__**

Disclaimer: Anything you recognize belongs to the goddess, JKR. It's as simple as that. I can't believe that, almost four months ago, I started this little story from the idea of what if Hermione kissed the wrong Weasley? I was not expecting that a lot of people would like it since the pairing of Percy and Hermione was rather untraditional, to say the least. You have proven me wrong. Thank you so much for all your positive feedback…it has meant a great deal to me. Constructive criticism is welcomed. Flames will be used to flambé my crÆ pes suzette…yummy!

****

An End and A Beginning

__

***the last day of the school year*** 

Percy sat at the professors' table, watching the students sitting at their respective house tables, patiently awaiting the feast. It was the last day of the school year and, for the seventh year students, it was their last day at Hogwarts. The world outside awaited them now…a vastly changed world from several months ago. Voldemort was gone and many Death Eaters had been captured as they prepared to attack Hogwarts itself. Some of them had committed suicide rather than be captured. Lucius Malfoy was such a one. He had managed to summon his broom and fly back to Malfoy Manor before the Aurors caught him. He and his wife both took Reductus poison although there was some controversy as to whether Narcissa Malfoy had taken it willingly or not. 

Wormtail had been sent to Azkaban, was found guilty of numerous counts of murder and torture and was administered the Dementor's Kiss. Percy had witnessed it, as did Harry, Severus, Sirius and Dumbledore. Percy could still vividly remember the look of wild fright in Wormtail's eyes as the Dementor approached him, breath rattling like someone dying of consumption. It turned towards Wormtail and lowered its hood. Percy had to stifle a gasp at the rotted, maggot-ridden vision of horror that hid under the robe. It was enough to make him nauseous. It lifted a skeletal hand and forcibly tipped Wormtail's face upwards, pinching the cheeks so that he was forced to open his mouth somewhat. Wormtail was moaning loudly and tears were streaming down his cheeks but the Dementor did not notice and certainly did not care. Then, Percy heard a sucking sound as the Dementor lowered its head towards the trembling man. A black mist began to come out of Wormtail's mouth, translucent shapes of no specific form that hung for a moment, shimmering darkly, and then rushed into the orifice on the Dementor's face.

It was over in less than a minute. The Dementor let go of Wormtail, who promptly collapsed to the ground. Percy saw the guards pick the unfortunate man up and carry him back to his special cell. Percy saw his eyes and shuddered. Yes, this was a fate worse than death.

Percy looked around the Great Hall and smiled. Draco and Ron were sitting together, heckling each other. Although it was common knowledge that the two were friends, especially following the deaths of Draco's parents, neither one of them would ever willingly admit to it. Lavender was also sitting very closely to Ron, her hand on his shoulder, softly touching his red hair and watching the animated exchanges between Ron and Draco.

Ginny, of course, was sitting next to Harry. Ginny had been frantic after they had come back from rescuing Hermione and had insisted on seeing Harry before she would let herself sleep. Although somewhat shorter and lighter in build than Harry, she had succeeded in knocking him off his feet as she rushed at him in relief. They both just sat there on the floor, holding each other tightly…neither one wanting to be the first to let go. Percy was also glad to see that Ron did not give Harry too hard a time about dating Ginny. Maybe that was because Ginny had threatened to wash all his undergarments in Pepperup potion if he did. And Ginny would have done it…as Charlie could attest.

Sirius Black was sitting at the professors' table as well. Since his exoneration, he had been working as an assistant to Remus Lupin in teaching Defense Against The Dark Arts. The students, once they had gotten over their initial fear of seeing Azkaban's most famous inmate in the flesh, immediately liked him and he quickly became one of the more popular staff members at Hogwarts. The best part to all this was that he was finally able to do what he had wanted to do for many, many years. He was able to adopt Harry legally. No more summers at the Dursleys for Harry. Harry finally had a family and, judging by the sparkle in his eyes as he held Ginny's hand, he wanted nothing else.

Sirius, Severus and Remus were involved in a very important project. They were going to examine modifications to the Wolfsbane Potion to see if a cure for lycanthropy could be found. Although admittedly a long shot, they were going to pool their considerable expertise in the Dark Arts to see if such an affliction could be reversed.

But the face that he was searching for was not at the table. He looked around for her in vain, trying to see where she had hidden herself.

"She will be here soon," Severus smiled at him. Sirius playfully punched Remus on the arm.

Percy blushed somewhat. "Is it that obvious?" he asked.

Severus simply smiled and returned to chatting with Remus and Sirius.

Dumbledore stood up to address the students.

__

"I wonder where Hermione is?" Percy wondered.

"Attention students. Attention," Dumbledore called out. The room became silent in seconds. Dumbledore beamed at the group of students who looked back at him with that combination of awe and respect.

"This has been a most eventful year. Voldemort and his minions have been defeated and there are a number of us present who must be acknowledged for their efforts to bring down the Dark Lord."

Dumbledore turned towards the professors.

"First, I must acknowledge Professor Remus Lupin, without whose assistance we would never have been able to safeguard Hogwarts as we did and track down the Death Eaters who would have attacked this school. His knowledge of the Dark Arts ensured that all of you were safe."

There was a round of thunderous applause. Percy was pleased to see that the students at Slytherin table were also banging their goblets loudly on the table.

"I must also acknowledge Sirius Black. Being unjustly accused of such a heinous crime can easily turn an individual against our community. Being unjustly imprisoned in Azkaban for twelve years and being on the run for an additional four years can easily fire the flames of vengeance against those who thought him guilty. Sirius did neither of these things. His assistance over the past four years has been invaluable, more so because of the great personal risk."

The applause was noticeably louder and Percy grinned as Sirius nudged Remus again with a smirk on his face. He had a sudden insight into how the two of them were when they were students here themselves.

"I must also thank Professor Severus Snape whose role has been possibly the most dangerous and difficult of all. Despite the huge personal risk, he was able to acquire information for us and assist us in protecting our students. Indeed, his quick thinking prevented a number of potential tragedies earlier in the school year and for that I am very grateful."

Percy grinned, as Severus looked extremely awkward at the praise. He really was the sort of man who preferred a more private acknowledgement of his actions. But even he looked pleased and, indeed, somewhat surprised, at the huge round of applause that followed. Looking out over the Gryffindor table (which was only surpassed by the Slytherin table in loudness) Percy saw Neville stand up and clap his hands loudly. The entire Gryffindor table and the entire student body quickly followed suit and rose up in respect.

"Finally, I would like to thank Professor Percival Weasley for his dedication to the difficult assignment I had given him last summer. He never wavered in his duty and, in the face of danger, showed the type of courage and loyalty that the Gryffindor house is renowned for."

Percy blushed somewhat at the praise and smiled as he saw Harry, Ron, Neville and Draco jump up on their seats and whoop loudly.

"There are also a number of students I must thank for their efforts in defeating the Dark Lord. First, Ronald Weasley, for showing the tenacity and the bravery to stand up for friend and enemy alike and for admirable courage in fighting the Dark Lord himself."

Ron blushed as Lavender kissed him on the cheek and held him tightly. He held her hand and did not say anything…he just beamed with happiness.

"I wish to acknowledge Draco Malfoy who proved to us all that it is not the house that we belong to but the values we carry in our hearts that determine who we are. He made the difficult transition to another house this year and was able to overcome the traditional prejudices between Slytherin and Gryffindor. I am most proud of that than anything else. He also showed incredible courage in offering to rescue a fellow student who had been captured and stuck by his friends, even when the situation could easily have swayed him the other way."

Draco smiled broadly as Harry and Ron captured him and started giving him noogies, making his silver-blond hair stick up at rather frightening angles. He took this very good-naturedly and laughed. Percy noticed how Padma Patil was looking at Draco shyly and smiled. Yes, it seemed as if the prejudices had certainly disappeared.

"Of course, I must acknowledge Harry Potter, whose relentless courage and loyalty to his friends have molded him into one of the bravest and finest young men I have had the privilege of knowing. Over the course of the last seven years, I have watched Harry brave a number of seemingly insurmountable obstacles and face the darkest wizard our generation has ever known. He has never faltered, even though he was unsure of his own abilities. He has never hesitated, despite knowing what the outcome could be. In every way, he has shown himself to possess all the best qualities of all the four houses…resourcefulness, courage, loyalty, intelligence, an over-riding sense of fair play. He has seen tragedy and he has overcome it. He has seen evil and he has vanquished it. He has found friends where before he only saw enemies. He is an example for all of us to follow and for this I toast him as I toast the others and, indeed, as I toast you. The world ahead is a much brighter one and we have these many brave individuals to thank for it."

The entire student body got up again and began clapping and cheering and there were many goblets banging on the table. Percy could just see how Ron put an arm around Harry's shoulder and just held him. And then, Ron held out his other arm and Draco, rather surprised but pleased nonetheless, moved in to join the two boys. If anything personified how the world had changed, it was this image of these three boys, each of them so very different, embracing one another in genuine friendship.

"There is one other person who will speak before we begin our Feast. She has been directly affected by the chaotic events of this past year and was almost lost to us. She had to overcome her own fears and insecurities in order to break away from Voldemort's evil and this was no small task. She has recently discovered certain truths about her past of which you are all aware and she has taken great strides to incorporate this into her vision of herself. She has not shied away from these truths, as many people would have, she has accepted them. She has had to endure much this year but she has shown herself equal and, when the time came to choose between good and evil, she made the right choice. She chose with her heart. Of course, I am speaking of Hermione Granger."

There was a loud thundering of applause as Hermione shyly approached the professor's table. Percy saw Severus looking at her with an expression of love and pride. The Gryffindor table was nearly beside itself with applause, Harry, Ron and Draco making a whole lot of noise and shooting fireworks out of their wands. Percy could see McGonagall smiling at them indulgently, not making any attempt at restoring order.

In a few moments, the students quieted down on their own and Hermione took her place beside Dumbledore.

"Headmaster. Professors. Fellow students. It is not usually the case where a student stands up here to address you all but this year is different. I asked Headmaster Dumbledore if I could have just a couple of minutes to talk to you as your Head Girl, but, most importantly, as your friend. This year has been a more chaotic one than usual. Voldemort came very close to attacking Hogwarts, to killing several students, to claiming me and to taking final victory in the struggle that has been around for as long as we can remember. Now, that struggle is over but we must never let our guard down. As Professor Moody told me, we must always exercise constant vigilance to ensure that another, perhaps even more terrible evil, does not threaten our world as Voldemort did.

We must continue to work together…to strengthen the bonds we have created between all the houses this year. It is through cooperation and trust and mutual respect that our future happiness and prosperity are ensured. If we quibble over differences of belief or of language or of background, then we are no better than Voldemort himself. As Headmaster Dumbledore told us, Voldemort's greatest strength was to sow the seeds of discord among us and we have seen how true that was. However, I believe that the strength and the love in our hearts are much stronger. Love can overcome all obstacles. It can forge friendships in the most unlikely of places. It can breathe life into the stoniest of hearts. It can bring life where before there was only death.

If there is anything that I would ask you to do, it is to always listen to what your heart is telling you. It is very easy to get caught up in the glamour and power of evil. It comes in many disguises and will use any means possible to seduce you into thinking that only through selling your soul will you achieve ultimate happiness. Your heart will never lead you down the wrong path. That is something that I learned from my father and I wanted to thank him for that."

Hermione walked over to where Severus was seated and hugged him. He returned the embrace warmly and kissed her on the cheek. Percy noticed Madam Hooch wiping a tear away from her eye. Hermione walked back to Dumbledore. Severus continued to watch her proudly, with tears in his eyes.

"For those of us in seventh year, the real world waits for us. It is a vastly different world from the one we left at the beginning of the school year. The opportunities are boundless. The very air is charged with the spirit of renewal. Let's go out there and really make a difference. Let's start something positive that everyone will be speaking of for generations to come!"

The entire student body and all the professors jumped to their feet and the roar of applause that followed was on a level unheard of before. All the ghosts were applauding and even Peeves refrained from dropping pumpkin juice on the first years, only allowing himself to do back flips in the air as a way of releasing his nervous energy.

"And now," Dumbledore managed to say over the applause, "Enjoy the feast!"

Everyone was still chattering loudly, as they sat down to eat the sumptuous array of food that magically appeared before them.

"Hermione, you may join your friends, if you wish," Dumbledore said quietly.

"Thank you, Headmaster," Hermione replied. However, she first walked over to where Percy was watching her.

"Will you meet me in the Common Room? I have something to talk to you about," she asked.

"Of course," he held her hand gently and smiled at her. She blushed somewhat and then hurried over to take her place with the other Gryffindors.

"I'm very proud of you, Percy," Severus spoke up.

Percy looked at the older man. He could see that the past few months had been kind and had erased much of the bitterness and darkness from his expression. Things had gone better than anyone could have imagined. The meeting with Mr. & Mrs. Granger had not been the disaster that he had feared. In fact, they were rather grateful because, if not for Hermione, they would never have known the joys of parenthood as they never could have other children and they would have been uncertain about adopting.

The relationship between Severus and Hermione was developing and Percy could see that there was a genuine interest on both sides to try to make it as normal a father-daughter relationship as possible. Severus had told Hermione all about her mother and had left nothing out as far as his being a Death Eater and what had happened afterwards. Yes, there was much sorrow and regret for time wasted but that was overshadowed by an overwhelming desire to concentrate on the future and to leave the past, with all its sadness, where it belonged.

"Thank you, Severus, for everything," Percy said sincerely.

That said it all and they ate their meal with good appetite…except for when Sirius started singing some ribald old songs from their schooldays, which made the students giggle and some of the professors blush. Hagrid and Remus quickly started accompanying him. No one seemed to mind and Percy was amazed to see even Professor McGonagall and Madam Pince joining in. There had been so little to celebrate in the past several years that there certainly was no harm in having a little fun now. Dumbledore laughed heartily at the merriment.

Hermione sat between Ron and Draco and ate her meal in relative silence, simply taking in all of the animated conversations around her. The rest of the school year had had its own challenges but they had been relatively pleasant ones. The things that stood out the most were the many meetings between her father and her adoptive parents. She had been a little frightened at how they might react to the news but, once they got over the initial shock, they were really very good about it. They had been the ones to insist that she should spend more time with her father. She suspected that they were keeping a lot of their emotions back for her benefit and she loved them all the more for it. No matter what, her welfare and her happiness had always been their primary concern. None of that had changed. She was still their daughter as well, not just Severus'. She felt pretty lucky about that.

After the meal, they made their way back to their respective common rooms. Everyone was already packed, trunks and bags already on their way to the Hogwarts Express. The seventh year Gryffindors were milling around, saying goodbye to their friends. There was a definite air of sadness as they realized there would be no returning to this place that had been their second home for the past seven years.

"So, will you be able to come to the Burrow this summer, Hermione?" Ron asked as he sat in one of the really comfy chairs with an arm around Lavender.

Hermione smiled at the two of them, "Absolutely. I will be spending part of the summer at home and part of the summer here at Hogwarts with my father. I would love to come down to see you all."

"Some of us more than others, right?" Ginny laughed.

Hermione blushed as Harry laughed and tickled Ginny in revenge.

"Well, the same could apply to you, Harry," Ron pointed out, "Besides, Mum will have my head if you don't come down. I'm sure Sirius could spare you for a couple of weeks before we begin Auror training."

"Oh, I'll be there if only to make sure you and Draco don't kill each other," Harry grinned. Draco was going to be spending the summer with the Weasleys. He hadn't wanted to go home for obvious reasons and had put Malfoy Manor up for sale. Ron's mother had insisted and it hadn't taken Draco very long to make his decision. Besides, he had always wanted to meet Charlie and talk about dragons.

Draco smiled somewhat and walked over to Hermione.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Ask me that in a couple of months and I will have an answer. Right now, I still have so much to take in…sometimes it feels a little overwhelming," she answered honestly.

"Well, there is no textbook for this sort of thing. I mean, we have all had a lot to deal with this year…"

"Oh, Draco, I am so sorry. I was being rather selfish. I mean you have had a lot to deal with too…"

Draco cut her off by placing his fingers to her lips momentarily.

"Don't worry about me. I am made of pretty strong stuff. All those years of trying to live up to their expectations. Knowing they didn't really love me…just saw me as a means of achieving what they wanted. I'm very lucky to be free of them. I didn't even feel sorry when I found out they had committed suicide. Isn't that the epitome of selfishness, just taking their own lives and not even taking a moment to consider what effect it might have on me? Well, it was always about them, not me."

"I really am sorry."

"Don't be. Just be happy. And remember, if that Weasley fellow doesn't treat you the way you deserve, he will have to answer to me," he said it lightly, but there was a serious undertone to his words, "we all love you, Hermione…each of us in our own way."

Eyes glistening with tears, she nodded and then leaned forward to kiss him on the cheek.

"I know," she whispered. Draco nodded and walked over to bother Ron a bit more. Hermione smiled because Padma immediately joined the group and stood quietly beside Draco.

__

"Perhaps," Hermione thought with a smile.

The common room door opened and Percy walked in. He caught sight of Hermione and quickly joined her.

"You really did well up there today," he commented. The pride in his expression made her feel wonderful.

"I felt I had to talk to everyone…it was just something I had to do. Almost like a goodbye…almost," her voice died down to a whisper as his arm came around her waist. She looked at him lovingly.

"So, what are your plans now?" Percy asked as he sat down with her on a nearby bench.

"Well, Dumbledore will be retiring now and Professor McGonagall will become the new Headmistress. That leaves the Transfiguration post open and she has asked me to take it."

"And?"

"And I have accepted. I was thinking that I might join Harry and the others at Auror training but I think my place is here with the students," Hermione noticed that Percy was grinning madly. "What are you so happy about?"

"It seems I will be returning as well. Professor McGonagall spoke to me last week. Looks like enrolment for History of Magic electives has doubled and she credits it to having a…well…a living professor," Percy's eyes danced with merriment.

Hermione was so happy she couldn't think of what to say which was, in itself, a rare thing.

"I bought you something," he smiled as he reached into his robes and pulled out a small box.

"Percy, I told you not to buy me anything," she protested as he placed the small box in her hands.

"Just open it," he said, blushing somewhat.

Hermione sighed and opened the little box, pulling out, of all things, a snow globe. She looked at him in confusion.

"Look closer," he replied to her unasked question.

Hermione returned her gaze to the snow globe. She watched carefully as the swirling crystals settled to the bottom of the globe and the panorama became clear. There was a gardenia, snowy white in colour and covered with sparkles, but one thing sparkled more than the gardenia, it was a ring…an engagement ring.

She looked at him in surprise.

"I know it is early but I…I wanted you to know that I love you and that I will spend the rest of my life ensuring that you are always happy. You don't have to answer me now…like I said…."

Hermione, with tears of joy in her eyes, embraced him happily, effectively cutting off his rambling.

"Yes," she whispered into his ear.

He smiled and held her tightly.

"I hate to break this up but I need a scrap of parchment to write down a spell for Neville's toad. It will help Neville find him more quickly," Draco broke in, Neville right behind him, both looking a little sheepish at having interrupted them.

The two of them broke the embrace with blushes, embarrassed smiles and stood up. Hermione fumbled through her robes and found a piece of something that felt like parchment. Pulling it out, she noticed that it was the horoscope she had cut out of the muggle newspaper before the school year had started. She read it over and started to laugh.

"What's so funny?" Percy asked.

Hermione showed him the horoscope. He read it over quickly and started to grin.

"Well, I am going to take a hint from this horoscope and do something my heart tells me is right," Percy smiled as he handed the parchment to Draco.

"And what would that be?" Hermione asked.

Percy did not answer. He simply took her in his arms and, in front of the entire Gryffindor common room, kissed her deeply and passionately. He did not see the looks of surprise on the faces of the others and, quite frankly, he didn't care. He was not about to live his life on the perimeter any longer. He loved her and he didn't care if the whole world saw them kissing.

Hermione melted into Percy's kiss and completely forgot where she was and who else was there. That was irrelevant. The only things that mattered were that she loved Percy and he loved her. But there was one odd thought that crossed her mind, which almost made her laugh.

__

"We will certainly have to see about playing those numbers in the wizarding lottery."

FINIS

A/N: Chapter 5 of "Hour of Grace" will be up by October 8th.

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There are so many people I have to thank personally. Here is a very incomplete list. Please read their stories too…you are sure to like them.

Tessie and wm_law2003: Words fail me. Thank you for being such great beta-readers, great people to talk to and also for writing stories that are quite awesome

Ron: The original Marauder…thanks for being a great person to talk to and bounce ideas off of…looking forward to more Draco stories

Catriona Snape: Mia amica italiana…sono cosi contenta di averti conosciuta e spero che continueremo a parlare 

Meatball: My fellow Canadian…what can I say? When I finally make it to the east coast we'll go to the local Tim Hortons, order a couple of double doubles and watch "This Hour Has 22 Minutes" or "Royal Canadian Air Farce". Maple Leaf forever, eh? (PS: Hi Spaghetti LOL)

Princess Potter: Through an error of our ways, we became correspondents. Thanks for making my workdays so much fun and for the snow globe idea. Looking forward to more Aimee (hee hee)

Danielle: You are always so positive…thanks for everything

Sweeperchick8: Surprise!! From me and your sister (Soccer rules! World Cup next year! Forza Italia…well, what did you expect? Canada didn't qualify..again…sigh).

Lady Deatheater, Joycie Lionheart, Silveray, Emmy, Taran, Slytherin Goddess: For getting in touch with me and being so positive

Jesse: For those great reviews…keep up the good work

Zoe: For all your help in answering my millions of questions

Steffie: For being happy and perky…you always have such positive energy

Your Worst Nightmare: For always being able to put a smile on my face

Valancy: For being a great person and for putting some of my stories on your site…go to [http://wolfiesden.50megs.com][1]

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Susie: For always having such nice things to say about me

Lauren: For having such excellent taste in protagonists (yes, I will clone Percy for you)

Catherine Cook: For appreciating the darkly enigmatic Potions Master as much as I do (Two words: Alan Rickman)

   [1]: http://wolfiesden.50megs.com/



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